The 


Campaign 


Lieut. fyE.Edwar 


FRED  LOCKLEY 

RARE  WESTERN  BOOKS 

4227  S.  E.  Stark  St. 
PORTLAND.  ORE. 


THE    '98    CAMPAIGN 


OF    THE 


6TH    MASSACHUSETTS,  U.S.V. 


COLONEL  EDMUND   RICK 


THE  '98   CAMPAIGN 


OF    THE 


6th  Massachusetts,  U.S.V. 

BY 

LIEUT.  FRANK    E.  EDWARDS 

i< 

With    79    Illustrations  from  Original  Photographs 


BOSTON 
LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND    COMPANY 

1899 


Copyright,  1899, 
BY  LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY 

^//  rights  reserve d 


JOHN   WILSON  AND   Sox,    CAMBRIDGE,    U.S.A. 


Introduction 


THE  Spanish-American  War  of  1898  was  the 
justification  of  the  Massachusetts  Volunteer 
Militia.  When  Governor  Wolcott  sent  to  Wash 
ington  to  ascertain  what  would  be  required  of  the 
Commonwealth  in  case  war  was  declared,  he  was 
informed  by  General  Miles  that  the  militia  of  the 
coast  States  would  in  all  probability  be  used 
only  for  coast  defence,  and  that  the  militia  of  the 
interior  States  would  be  used  for  any  foreign 
expedition  that  might  be  determined  upon. 

This  policy  was  almost  instantly  abandoned 
upon  the  outbreak  of  war,  because  it  was  found 
that  the  militia  of  the  interior  States,  with  some 
exceptions,  were  neither  equipped  nor  drilled, 
and  Massachusetts  gladly  did  not  only  her  own 
particular  work,  but  the  work  originally  cut  out 
for  others.  The  country  asked  Massachusetts  to 
strip  herself  of  her  trained  soldiers  for  the  use  of 
the  Xation,  and  no  more  selfish  policy  was  allowed 
to  exist  by  the  people  of  the  State  or  the  soldiers 
sprung  from  among  them. 

RJ16978 


vi  Introduction 

But  one  regiment  mustered  into  the  National 
service  was  used  for  coast  defence,  and  of  the 
four  others  summoned  on  the  first  call,  three 
saw  active  and  all  saw  foreign  service.  This,  I 
believe,  is  a  larger  proportion  than  any  other 
State  actually  sent  to  the  front.  It  was  not  due 
to  favoritism  in  Washington.  It  was  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  spirit  of  patriotic  enthusiasm 

unions   the   young1    men    of  Massachusetts    had 

j 

overcome  popular  ridicule,  had  swept  beyond 
the  dress  tunic  and  bouquet-in-the-gun-barrel 
stage  of  military  existence,  and  had  produced  a 
body  of  soldiers.  Dress  uniforms  had  been  for 
years  discarded  for  camp  work,  applied  tactics 
had  taken  the  place  of  parade,  and  kriegspiel  and 
rifle  practice  had  elbowed  out  "  social  events." 

So-called  "  militia  companies  "  from  some  States 
came  to  the  front  with  less  than  ten  per  cent  of 
their  original  members.  There  was  more  than 
one  instance  of  a  whole  regiment's  ignominiously 
turning  tail  when  asked  to  face  something  be 
sides  the  flutter  of  handkerchiefs  and  a  brass 
band.  From  such  experiences  this  Common 
wealth  was  free.  Massachusetts  had  been  for 
years  steadily  weeding  out  the  parade  soldier 
from  her  ranks,  and  the  result  was  not  delay  in 
filling  her  quota,  but  serious  embarrassment  in 
deciding  who  should  not  go.  The  six  regiments 


Introduction  vii 

and  the  naval  brigade  mustered  from  this  State 
into  the  National  service  were  not  a  mere  uni 
formed  mob  of  greenhorns,  but  every  one  of 
them  a  trained  organization,  their  ranks  increased 
to  the  proper  size  largely  by  the  re-enlistment  of 
former  members.  In  more  than  one  instance, 
men  who  had  been  discharged  as  officers  re- 
enlisted  as  privates. 

The  troops  of  Massachusetts  sawr,  proportion 
ately,  more  of  the  war  in  the  West  Indies  than 
the  troops  from  any  other  State,  simply  because 
they  reported  for  duty  better  armed,  better 
equipped,  better  trained  than  the  troops  from  any 
other  State.  The  Commonwealth  had  steadily 
pressed  home  upon  the  militia  the  notion  that 
the  muster  field  was  a  workshop,  not  a  picnic 
grove,  and  when  the  emergency  came  Massachu 
setts  found  that  her  grimy  old  fatigue  uniforms 
covered  men. 

Among  the  four  regiments  of  infantry  selected 
on  the  first  call  was  the  Sixth.  A  general  order 
had  suggested  to  company  commanders  the 
advisability  of  sounding  their  companies  and 
collecting  the  names  of  additional  volunteers 
to  fill  the  required  quota.  A  meeting  of  officers 
was  called  at  the  State  House  at  the  same  hour 
that  the  Colonel  was  called  to  confer  with  the 
Governor.  Colonel  Woodward  walked  from  the 


viii  Introduction 

Governor's  room  straight  into  the  meeting  of  his 
officers.  Every  officer  was  present  or  accounted 
for.  The  Governor's  selection  was  declared,  the 
roll  was  called,  and  a  report  from  each  company 
and  the  field  music  made.  One  hour  after  Gov 
ernor  Wolcott  delegated  the  Colonel  of  the  Sixth 
Infantry  to  raise  a  volunteer  regiment,  the  Adju 
tant  of  the  Sixth  was  in  the  office  of  Adjutant 
General  Dalton  with  the  report  that  the  regi 
ment  was  raised,  that  every  officer,  line,  field, 
and  staff,  had  volunteered,  and  that  the  Colonel 
requested  the  services  of  a  medical  examiner 
and  a  mustering  officer. 

This  request  was  not  granted.  The  infantry 
regiments  were  sent  to  camp  according  to  the 
seniority  of  their  colonels,  —  the  Sixth  being  the 
the  last  of  all.  The  bitter  cold  of  those  spring 
nights  and  the  short  supply  of  blankets  were  a 
foretaste  of  real  campaigning,  but  were  cheer 
fully  endured.  The  spirit  of  Massachusetts  was 
shown  by  men  who  broke  down  and  wept  like 
children  when  denied  by  the  stern  decree  of  the 
army  surgeon  the  envied  privilege  of  bearing 
arms  for  the  flag. 

The  richest  civilized  nation  asked  its  sons  to 
fight  with  obsolete  weapons  against  men  whom 
the  poorest  civilized  nation  had  equipped  with 
ordnance  of  the  latest  pattern.  Yet  the  only 


Introduction  ix 

tears  that  fell  came  from  those  who  were  not 
allowed  to  carry  the  Springfield  against  the 
Mauser. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  even  the  most  censo 
rious  of  war  correspondents  should  have,  in  his 
history  of  the  war,  set  down  of  material  like  this 
when  under  fire 

"  The  Sixth  Massachusetts  behaved  well." 

CURTIS   GUILD,   JR. 


The   Army 


the  1st  day  of  April,  1898,  the  strength  of  the 
army  was  2,143  officers  and  26,040  enlisted  men, 
a  total  of  28,183.  War  with  the  kingdom  of  Spain  was 
declared  April  21,  1898. 

'•  On  May  31,  125,000  volunteers  had  been  mustered 
into  the  service.  In  August,  1898,  the  regular  army 
numbered  56,365,  the  volunteer  army  207,244,  —  a  total 
of  268,609. 

6fc  These  figures  of  themselves  indicate  that  an  im 
mense  work  was  thrown  upon  the  War  Department, 
After  thirty-three  years  of  peace,  during  a  great  part  of 
which  the  army  did  not  exceed  26,000  men,  it  suddenly 
became  necessary  to  arm,  clothe,  feed,  and  equip  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  million. 

"  The  sudden  emergency  which  called  our  people  to 
arms  after  an  interval  of  half  a  century  of  peace  with 
all  foreign  powers  was  met  by  the  War  Department  with 
earnestness  and  energy.  The  situation  found  the  coun 
try  unprepared  with  any  large  stock  of  arms,  ammu 
nition,  clothing,  supplies,  and  equipments.  That  they 
were  duly  provided,  and  that  the  numerous  demands 
on  the  industries  of  our  people  were  met  so  promptly, 
will  remain  one  of  the  marvels  of  history.'' 


Preface 

THE  history  of  every  regiment  is  dear  to  its 
members,  while  to  those  which  have  received 
the  baptism  of  fire  it  becomes  sacred. 

The  history  of  the  6th  Massachusetts  in  the 
Spanish- American  War  is  unique  in  that  its  cam 
paign  was  almost  a  bloodless  one,  the  absence  of 
battles  and  the  few  months  it  was  in  the  field 
rendering  its  experiences  different  in  kind  and 
degree  from  those  regiments  which  were  in  the  Civil 
War  almost  as  many  years,  and  even  from  its  sister 
regiments  in  Cuba  in  '98.  And  while  the  following 
account  is  written  with  a  full  appreciation  of  the 
seemingly  insurmountable  difficulties  overcome  by 
the  War  Department  in  an  incredibly  short  space 
of  time,  in  addition  to  the  necessary  hardships  of 
army  life,  and  is  not  intended  in  any  sense  as  a 
"lament,"  there  is  that  to  record  of  interest  not 
only  to  the  regiment  itself  but  to  its  friends. 

Deprived  of  the  tonic  of  battles  and  a  danger 
ous  environment,  the  life  of  the  regiment  became 
one  of  existence  in  a  land  of  plenty ;  but,  owing  to 
the  distance  and  difficulty  of  communication  with 


xii  Preface 

home,  and  the  fact  that  no  pay  had  been  received 
for  three  months,  the  men  were  unable  to  help 
out  the  scant  army  rations  with  the  simplest  fare. 
Discouragement  was  only  averted  by  the  con 
sciousness  that  Uncle  Sam  was  ignorant  of  the 
life  of  his  children,  and  would  disapprove  it,  to 
gether  with  the  comfort  that  came  in  the  message 
sent  by  Governor  Wolcott  to  the  President  "  that 
the  lives  of  her  sons  are  precious  in  the  eyes  of 
the  Commonwealth,"  and  that  when  the  health 
of  her  soldiers  is  at  stake,  Massachusetts  feels 
that  "  no  effort  can  be  too  great,  and  no  expendi 
ture  too  lavish.'*  The  men  hoped  as  long  as  the 
war  was  over  and  the  country  did  not  need  the 
lives  which  they  had  freely  offered,  that  they 
might  at  least  so  live  as  to  return  home  with 
sound  bodies.  The  perspective  of  a  year  has 
softened  the  harsh  lines  of  experience,  and  the 
regiment  again  in  health  views  the  long  list  of 
casualties  of  other  regiments  and  feels  thankful 
that  the  chapter  "In  Memoriam"  contains  no 
other  names. 

For  this  reason  the  story  has  been  told  rather  as 
a  narrative  than  by  the  sharp-cut  events  of  the 
daily  diary  of  a  fighting  campaign. 

The  trail  has  been  rough  in  places,  and  at  times 
the  load  so  heavy  as  to  make  it  desirable  to  drop 
unnecessary  burdens.  I  have  finished  the  course 


Preface  xiii 

with  the  principal  outfit,  trusting  to  the  kindly 
judgment  of  those  with  whom  I  have  walked  in 
the  ranks  for  the  sake  of  all  concerned  not  to  ask 
for  the  abandoned  articles. 

Acknowledgments  are  due  to  many  for  photo 
graphs  and  letters,  also  to  the  press  for  courtesies 
received.  If  any  paragraphs  appear  without  credit 
to  the  writer,  it  is  unintentional. 


Contents 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    THE  CALL  FOR  SERVICE 1 

II.    RECEPTION  ix  BALTIMORE 11 

III.  CAMP  ALGER 25 

IV.  THE  "YALE" 45 

V.    GUAXICA 74 

YI.    HESIGXATIOX  OF  OFFICERS  AT  PONCE 90 

VII.    UTUADO 132 

VIII.    THE  HOSPITALS .     .  186 

IX.    THE  "BAY  STATE" 206 

X.    ARECIBO 224 

XL    TORTO  Rico 242 

XII.    HOMEWARD  BOUND 259 

ROSTER 293 

IN  MEMORIAM  333 


List  of  Illustrations 

PAGE 

Colonel  Edmund  Rice Frontispiece 

Troops  Passing  through  Boston 

Governor  Woloott  Presenting  the  Commissions  .     .     . 
Maryland   and    Massachusetts.     Baltimore    Welcomes 

the  6th  Mass.  Reg't.    .     .  ..11 

Gth    Mass,  at  Mt.  Royal  Station,  B.  &  O.   Railroad, 

Baltimore 

Maryland's  Greeting  to  Massachusetts  .     .     . 

Camp  Alger 

Shaving  under  Difficulties 

Admiral  Sampson  and  General  Miles 

"The  Yale"  .     .     . 

On  Board  the  "Yale"     .... 

A  Shower  Bath 63 

The  Harbor  of  Guanica "0 

Major  Edward  J.  Gihon 83 

Major   General  Nelson  A.  Miles 

Spanish  Block-House '):> 

Native  Laundry 

H.  W.  Gross -)7 

Five  Minutes'  Rest 101 

After  Cocoanuts 

"Brace  up,  Boys,  there's  Old  Glory!" 1°7 

A  Company  Street 

A  Group  of  Natives 

Colonel  Charles  Woodward 113 

Headquarters 

Major  Charles  K.  Darling 11T 


xviii  List  of  Illustrations 

PAGE 

Mr.  Dwight  L.  Rogers,  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A 121 

Map  of  Porto  Rico 133 

Road  from  Ponce  to  Harbor 135 

Colonel  Kdmimd  Rice 137 

A  Native  Express 139 

44  Dutch  Yoke" 140 

"A  Porto  Riean  Picnic" 141 

Natives  Bathing  at  "  Mud  Hole  " 150 

Utuado o     .     .  151 

The  Soldiers'  Cemetery,  Utuado 155 

Frederic  A.  Washburn 157 

Mrs.  Colonel  Rice 1G1 

Heavy  Marching  Order  Inspection 163 

Utuado  Market  Scene 167 

Going  to  the  Concert 168 

Sunday  in  Utuado .     .  174 

A  Native  Pack  Train 176 

Chaplain  George  D.  Rice 179 

Starting  for  Outpost  Duty 182 

Governor  Wolcott 183 

Native  Water  Carrier 185 

Major  George  F.  Dow 187 

Hospital  Laundry 194 

Miss  Muriel  G.  Gait 195 

Dr.  Crockett 198 

Hospital  Train  for  Arecibo 200 

Convalescents  on  the  Way  to  the  "Bay  State"  .     .     .  201 

Hospital  Stewards 203 

Miss  Sadie  Parsons 221 

Spanish  Soldiers  entertaining  American  Soldiers      .     .  225 

Three  of  a  Kind 227 

Arecibo 229 

Charity 234 

Major  George  H.  Priest 237 

The  Plaza  in  Utuado    .  245 


List   of   Illustrations  xix 

PAGE 

A  Suburban  Residence 250 

San  Juan,  Porto  Rico 261 

The  ''Mississippi" 271 

The  Fitchburg  Banquet  Hall 271) 

Lieut.  Col.  Butler  Ames 283 

Statue  of  Columbus,  San  Juan 287 

Major  E.  J.  Gihon,  2d  Lt.  F.  E.  Edwards,  1st  Lt.  Louis 

D.  Ilunton  295 

Captain  Alexander  Greig,  1st  Lt.  Thomas  Livingston, 

2d  Lt.  Fred  D.  Costello 301 

Captain  Warren  E.  Sweetser,  1st  Lt.  George  R.  Barn- 
stead,  2d  Lt.  Henry  A.  Thayer 313 

Captain  Cyrus  H.  Cook 317 

Captain  W.  J.  Williams,  1st  Lt.  W.  H.  Jackson,  2d  Lt. 

G.  W.  Braxton 323 

2d  Lieut.  Arthur  J.  Draper 327 

There  's  no  Place  like  Home 331 

Charles  F.  Parker,  Myris  H.  Warren,  George  Tyler 

Cutting,  George  C.  Wenden 337 

Herbert  C.  Bellamy,  John  J.  Delaney,  William  E. 

Walters 341 

Willis  H.  Page,  Ernest  D.  Marshall,  John  O.  Cole, 

Leon  E.  Warren 345 

Ralph  Prescott  Hosmer,  George  Edward  Adams,  Charles 

Abraham  Hart,  George  Henry  Sayles 349 

Martin  Welch,  Charles  Edward  McGregor,  John  E. 

Riley,  Patrick  Kelly 353 

Paul  T.  French,  Asa  B.  Trask,  Arthur  L.  Wilkinson, 

Charles  E.  Johnson    . 357 


The  '98  Campaign 


OF 


The  6th  Massachusetts,  U.S.V. 


CHAPTER   I 

THE    CALL    FOli    SERVICE 


THAT  long  period  of  uncertainty  and  anxiety 
that  preceded  the  declaration  of  war,  when 
the  national  consciousness  was  struggling  on  the 
one  hand  to  do  its  duty  to  a  downtrodden  people, 
and  on  the  other  to  avert  the  horrors  of  war,  was 
suddenly  brought  to  an  end  by  the  tragedy  of  the 
blowing  up  of  the  "  Maine."  The  investigation  insti 
tuted  by  our  government  reported  to  Congress  that 
she  had  been  blown  up  by  outside  forces,  but  no 
formal  charge  was  made  against  Spain  for  this  act 
either  then  or  later.  Notwithstanding  the  tone  of 
this  report,  the  public  at  large  was  so  strongly  in 
fluenced  by  the  calamity  that,  perhaps  half  uncon 
sciously,  it  turned  the  balance  of  indecision  to  the 
side  of  action.  That  the  unspoken  opinion  then 
formed  has  since  become  crystallized  as  -fact  is 
shown  by  one  of  our  latest  histories,  which  with- 


2  The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

out  reservation  attributes  the  blowing  up  of  the 
"  Maine  "  to  Spain. 

The  President,  in  his  war  message  to  Congress 
on  the  25th  of  April,  said :  — 

"  I  now  recommend  to  your  honorable  body  the  adop 
tion  of  a  joint  resolution  declaring  that  a  state  of  war 
exists  between  the  United  States  of  America  and  the 
Kmgdipiri;  of  /'Spain,  and  I  urge  speedy  action  thereon  to 
.tjie  <end  that  the,  definition  of  the  international  status  of 
•'the  tlmted' States  as  a  belligerent  power  may  be  made 
known,  and  the  assertion  of  all  its  rights  and  the  main 
tenance  of  all  its  duties  in  the  conduct  of  a  public  war 

may  be  assured. 

[Signed]     "  WILLIAM  McKiNLEY." 

This  war  bill  was  passed  without  delay,  and  im 
mediately  notice  of  it  was  sent  to  all  the  repre 
sentatives  of  foreign  nations. 

Thus  ended  the  period  of  suspense,  and  war,  that 
most  terrible  of  all  words,  which  to  the  younger 
generation  had  become  a  tradition,  was  pronounced 
by  the  President  as  existing  fact. 

A  new  experience  and  problem  was  waiting  for 
our  nation.  To  be  at  war  with  a  foreign  race,  on 
soil  saturated  with  European  traditions,  with  a 
foreign  language  to  contend  with,  and  in  a  climate 
and  season  sufficient  in  themselves  to  defeat  an 
army,  was  not  a  cheerful  or  promising  outlook. 

Our  army  numbered  but  25,000  men,  and  we 
must  be  prepared  to  resist  not  only  attack  at  home 


The  Call  for  Service  3 

over  our  great  extent  of  coast-line  east  and  west, 
but  be  able  to  place  in  the  field  for  foreign  service 
an  army  large  enough  to  contend  with  botli  Spain 
and  climates. 

Our  papers  had  for  weeks  emphasized  the  danger 
of  tropical  fevers,  sunstrokes,  lack  of  food,  treach 
eries  of  natives,  etc.,  so  when  the  call  for  volun 
teers  came,  there  was  no  man  so  ignorant  but  he 
was  entirely  familiar  with  the  possibilities  he  had 
to  face. 

The  war  was  to  be  primarily  an  aggressive  one, 
and  there  was  not  that  stimulus  for  men  to  enlist 
that  comes  when  home  and  family  are  threatened 
by  the  enemy.  On  the  other  hand  it  was  to  be  an 
enlistment  that  might  mean  Cuba  or  Manila,  home 
service  or  Spain,  sickness  or  death.  On  April  the 
23d  the  President  issued  the  first  call  for  125,000 
volunteers. 

The  proportion  of  men  wanted  for  the  war  in  '08 
was  to  the  number  required  in  '61  from  a  given 
population  only  as  one  to  fifty.  This  enabled  the 
government  to  accept  only  men  who  were  in  a 
thoroughly  good  condition  physically,  and  to  place 
in  the  field  regiments  composed  of  practically 
picked  men  from  a  population  not  decimated  or 
weakened  by  previous  drafts. 

Another  and  not  the  least  element  of  strength 
which  entered  into  the  make-up  of  the  army  was 


4  The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

the  "  moral "  force  of  men  having  volunteered. 
There  was  no  half-hearted  obedience  from  drafted 
men,  but  the  willing  response  of  soldiers  who  of 
fered  freely  and  willingly  their  services,  and  lives 
if  need  be,  for  the  good  of  their  country,  with  an 
intelligent  understanding  of  what  they  were  doing. 
Doubtless  there  were  cases  of  blustering  and  igno 
rant  revengefulness  shown,  but  this  usually  ex 
hausted  itself  in  the  use  of  letter  paper  decorated 
with  star-spangled  banners,  or  in  wearing  sus 
penders  embroidered  with  "  Remember  the  Maine." 
These  were  the  few.  On  the  whole  the  regiments 
were  enlisted  in  an  atmosphere  of  cool  judgment  and 
good  sense,  as  part  of  an  army  to  stand  by  force, 
if  necessary,  for  the  righting  of  a  national  wrong. 
And  the  men  individually,  while  not  filled  perhaps 
with  the  holy  zeal  of  the  Crusades  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  did  have  a  strong  sense  of  the  honor  of  tak 
ing  part  in  a  crusade  against  the  degradation  and 
ignorance,  resulting  from  a  tyrannical  government, 
and  of  supplanting  it  with  the  life  and  privileges 
belonging  to  an  enlightened  free  people. 

The  make-up  and  motives  actuating  the  regi 
ments  were  essentially  the  same.  Men  from  every 
walk  in  life  filled  the  ranks,  —  the  lawyer,  the 
mechanic,  the  laboring-man,  the  college  student, 
marching  shoulder  to  shoulder.  One  of  the  stock 
questions  asked  one  another  was,  "  What  induced 


The  Call  for  Service  7 

you  to  enlist  ? "  The  answers  were  as  various  as 
they  were  evasive,  ranging  all  the  way  from  the 
man  who  had  dined  "  too  well,  but  not  wisely " 
and  who  had  enlisted  immediately  after  dinner,  to 
the  man  whose  avowed  principal  motive  was  patri 
otism.  And  if  sympathy  with  the  famous  remark, 
"  Our  country !  In  her  intercourse  with  foreign 
nations  may  she  always  be  in  the  right ;  but  our 
country,  right  or  wrong !"  can  be  called  enlisting 
from  patriotism,  then  the  great  majority  of  the 
men  must  have  that  credit,  for  it  was  for  their 
country  they  enlisted. 

"First  in  the  field"  was  the  motto  of  the  "  old 
6th,"  and  as  worthy  successors,  the  6th  Massachu 
setts,  U.  S.  V.,  was  the  first  regiment  reporting  to 
the  Adjutant  General  of  Massachusetts  as  being 
ready  for  service. 

The  call  for  volunteers  was  issued  on  the  23d  of 
April,  and  the  6th  of  May  found  the  regiment  in 
camp  at  South  Framingham,  awaiting  orders. 

The  twelve  companies  which  composed  the  regi 
ment  were  from  the  following  towns  and  cities : 
Company  A  of  Wakefield,  Companies  B  and  D  of 
Fitchburg,  Companies  C  and  G  of  Lowell,  Company 
E  of  South  Framingham,  Company  F  of  Marlboro, 
Company  H  of  Stoneham,  Company  I  of  Concord, 
Company  K  of  Southbridge,  Company  L  of  Boston, 
and  Company  M  of  Milford. 


8  The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

On  the  12th,  Companies  A,  I,  C,  and  F  were 
mustered  in  by  Lieutenant  E.  M.  Weaver,  U.  S.  A., 
the  others  on  the  day  following. 

Life  at  Camp  Dewey  was  pleasant,  as  the  near 
ness  to  home  enabled  the  men  to  live  comfortably, 
and  the  distance  from  the  enemy  eliminated  night 
alarms.  The  days  were  passed  in  routine  drill 
and  the  fulfilment  of  ordinary  camp  duties.  The 
members  of  the  6th  were  fully  conscious  of  the 


GOVERNOR  WOLCOTT  PRESENTING  THE  COMMISSIONS. 

position  they  occupied  as  the  successors  of  the  "  old 
6th,"  and  that  the  eyes  of  the  country  would  con 
trast  the  record  of  '98  with  that  of  '61,  and  they 
asked  that  the  mantle  of  the  "  old  6th  "  might  fall 
on  them.  On  the  18th,  Governor  Wolcott  visited 
the  camp,  reviewed  the  troops,  and  presented  the 
newrly  appointed  officers  with  their  commissions. 


The  Call  for  Service  g 

FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 

Charles  F.  Woodward,  Colonel ;  George  H.  Chaffin, 
Lieutenant  Colonel;  George  H.  Taylor,  Major;  Charles 
K.  Darling,  Major;  George  H.  Priest,  Major;  Curtis 
Guild,  Jr.,  Adjutant;  William  Dusseault,  Chaplain; 
Stamvood  G.  Sweetser,  1st  Lieutenant  and  Quarter 
master;  Oris  H.  Marion,  Major  and  Surgeon;  George 
F.  Dow,  1st  Lieutenant  and  Assistant  Surgeon ;  Fred 
erick  A.  Washburn,  Jr.,  1st  Lieutenant  and  Assistant 
Surgeon. 

Later  Adjutant  Guild  received  an  appointment 
on  General  Lee's  staff,  resigning  his  commission 
in  the  6th,  being  succeeded  by  Lieutenant  Butler 
Ames  of  Battery  A.  Two  days  later  orders  were 
received  at  11  A.  M.  to  move  at  once  to  Camp 
Alger.  At  1  p.  M.  tents  were  struck,  the  ground 
policed,  and  at  six  o'clock  the  regiment  was  on  the 
train  at  South  Framingham  en  route  for  the  South, 
having  been  reviewed  by  Governor  Wolcott  and 
his  staff  as  it  passed  Fort  Dalton.  The  regiment 
moved  in  three  sections,  a  battalion  making  a 
section,  with  the  field  and  staff  officers  and  band 
in  the  first,  Worcester,  Springfield,  and  Pittsfield, 
each  vied  with  one  another  in  the  hearty  welcome 
they  gave  the  troops  as  they  passed  through  to 
New  York  by  way  of  Albany. 

In   '01,   when  the   6th  was  making   this   same 
journey,  word  was  received  at  Philadelphia  of  the 


io        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

reception  it  might  expect  in  Baltimore.  Likewise 
in  '98,  when  Philadelphia  was  reached,  a  message 
was  received  from  the  Mayor  of  Baltimore,  stating 
what  treatment  this  regiment  might  expect  at  the 
hands  of  its  citizens. 

"  Colonel  C.  F.  Woodward,  6th  Massachusetts  Vol 
unteers,  en  route :  Have  arranged  reception  and  lunch. 
Short  parade  from  Mt.  Royal  Station  to  Camden  Station. 
Wire  hour  of  your  arrival. 

"  Mayor  U.  T.  MALSTER." 

Colonel  Woodward  also  received  a  telegram  from 
the  War  Department  granting  him  permission  to 
stop  over  at  Baltimore  and  march  across  the  city. 


Reception  in  Baltimore          1 1 


CHAPTER  II 

RECEPTION    IX    BALTIMORE 

"Xext  come  the  Massachusetts  men, 
Gathered  from  city,  glade,  and  glen. 
Xo  hate  for  South,  but  love  for  all 
They  answered  to  their  country's  call. 
The  path  to  them  seemed  broad  and  bright, 
They  sought  no  foeman  and  no  right, 
As  on  they  marched,  their  flag  before 
Xew  England's  braves,  through  Baltimore." 

(Dedicated  to  the  6th  by  J.   W.  Forney  in  '61.) 

SINCE  leaving  Boston,  the  regiment  had  met 
with  an  uninterrupted  series  of  ovations  at 
the  stations  it  passed,  being  greeted  with  cheers  and 
favors  of  a  more  substantial  character  wherever  a 
stop  was  made.  The  patriot 
ism  of  the  country  was  at 
fever  heat,  and  a  uniformed 
regiment  was  the  signal  for 
showing  it.  Not  until  Balti 
more  was  reached,  however, 
did  the  regiment  realize  the 
strength  of  feeling  in  that  section  of  the  country, 
or  the  full  meaning  of  Southern  patriotism.  The 
memory  of  that  famous  march  of  the  6th  Massa- 


i  2         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

chusetts  through  Baltimore  in  '61  was  revived,  and 
the  eyes  of  the  country  were  turned  on  that  city  to 
see  what  the  sequel  would  be.  Some  even  remem 
bered  the  days  when  the  following  account  appeared 
in  every  paper. 

Colonel  Jones'   Official  Report  to  Major 
jr.  H.   Clemence. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  Apr.  22,  18(51. 

After  leaving  Philadelphia  I  received  intimation  that 
our  journey  through  Baltimore  would  he  resisted.  I 
caused  ammunition  to  he  distributed  and  arms  loaded ; 
and  went  personally  through  the  cars  and  issued  the 
following  order: 

"The  regiment  will  march  through  Baltimore  in 
columns  of  sections,  arms  at  will.  You  will  undoubt 
edly  be  insulted,  abused  and  perhaps  assaulted,  to  which 
you  must  pay  no  attention  whatever ;  but  march  with 
your  faces  square  to  the  front  and  pay  no  attention  to 
the  mob  even  if  they  throw  stones,  bricks,  and  other  mis 
siles  :  but  if  you  are  fired  upon,  and  any  one  of  you  is 
hit,  your  officers  will  order  you  to  fire.  Do  not  fire  into 
any  promiscuous  crowds,  but  select  any  man  whom  you 
see  aiming  at  you,  and  be  sure  you  drop  him." 

Reaching  Baltimore,  horses  were  attached  the  instant 
the  locomotive  was  detached,  and  the  cars  were  driven 
at  a  rapid  pace  across  the  city.  After  the  cars  contain 
ing  seven  companies  had  reached  Washington  depot 
the  track  behind  them  was  barricaded,  and  the  cars  con 
taining  the  band  and  the  following  companies  —  C,  1), 
T,  L  —  were  vacated,  and  they  proceeded  to  march  in 
accordance  with  orders  and  had  proceeded  but  a  short 


Reception  in  Baltimore          i  3 

distance  before  they  were  furiously  attacked  by  a  shower 
of  missiles  which  came  faster  as  they  proceeded.  They 
increased  their  step  to  double  quick,  which  seemed  to 
infuriate  the  mob,  as  it  evidently  impressed  them  with 
the  idea  that  the  soldiers  did  not  dare  fire,  or  had  no 
ammunition.  Pistol  shots  were  fired  from  the  ranks 
and  one  soldier  fell  dead. 

The  order  "  Fire  "  was  given  and  it  was  executed,  in 
consequence  of  which  several  of  the  mob  fell  and  the 
soldiers  advanced  quickly.  The  [Mayor  of  Baltimore 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  column  beside  Captain 
Follonsbee,  and  proceeded  with  them  a  short  distance, 
assuring  them  that  he  would  protect  them,  and  begging 
him  not  to  let  the  men  fire ;  but  the  mayor's  patience 
was  soon  exhausted,  and  he  seized  a  musket  from  the 
hands  of  one  of  the  me  a,  and  killed  a  man  therewith; 
and  a  policeman  who  was  in  advance  of  the  column  also 
shot  a  man  with  a  revolver.  They  at  last  reached  the 
cars,  and  they  started  immediately  for  Washington.  On 
going  through  the  train  I  found  there  were  about  one 
hundred  and  thirty  missing  including  the  band  and 
field  music.  Our  baggage  was  seized  and  we  have  not 
as  yet  been  able  to  recover  any  of  it.  I  have  found  it 
very  difficult  to  get  reliable  information  in  regard  to  the 
killed  and  wounded. 

As  the  men  went  into  the  cars  I  caused  the  blinds  to 
be  closed,  and  took  every  precaution  to  prevent  any 
shadow  of  offence  to  the  people  of  Baltimore  ;  but  still 
the  stones  flew  thick  and  fast  into  the  train,  and  it  was 
with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  I  could  prevent  the 
troops  from  leaving  the  cars  and  revenging  the  death  of 
their  comrades. 

EDWARD  F.  JONES, 

Colonel  Sixth  Regiment  M.  V.  M.  in  service  of  U.  S. 


14        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

"When  this  news  of  the  attack  of  the  Sixth  was 
received  in  Boston,  the  most  intense  excitement  fol 
lowed.  Men  gathered  in  groups  about  the  streets, 
while  crowds  surrounded  the  bulletin  boards  of  the 
newspapers  to  learn  the  particulars.  If  anything  was 
needed  to  arouse  the  patriotism  of  the  North,  it  had  now 
occurred.  Public  meetings  were  held  in  various  parts 
of  the  city ;  merchants,  lawyers,  physicians,  and  mem 
bers  of  other  professions  met,  and  offers  of  service  and 
money  were  offered  for  the  use  of  the  State  by  the 
Boston  banks  and  banks  of  other  cities  for  the  State's 
immediate  use,  trusting  to  the  honor  of  the  legislature 
to  reimburse  them  when  it  set.  Numerous  offers  of 
money  were  made  to  the  Governor  by  private  indivi 
duals  as  aid  for  soldiers'  families.  Nor  were  women 
lagging  behind  the  men  in  enthusiasm.  Rich  and  poor, 
high  and  low,  all  offered  their  services  for  the  prepara 
tion  of  bandages  and  lint,  the  making  of  garments, 
attendance  in  hospitals,  or  any  other  service  compatible 
with  their  sex." 

These  old  letters  are  inserted  not  in  any  degree 
to  resurrect  the  skeleton  of  the  "late  unpleasant 
ness  "  between  North  and  South,  but  that  the  re 
ception  tendered  the  6th  in  Baltimore  in  '98  may 
receive  additional  lustre  from  having  the  back 
ground  of  the  history  of  '61. 

When  the  train  bearing  the  divisions  of  the 
6th  Massachusetts  arrived  in  Baltimore,  the 
crowd  had  spread  over  every  inch  of  available 
ground,  around  up  the  slopes  facing  the  station, 
giving  the  effect  of  a  great  amphitheatre,  which 


Reception  in  Baltimore         i  5 

was  brightened  by  the  colors  of  summer  gowns 
and  bonnets  and  hundreds  of  bouquets  of  flowers. 
Under  a  blue  sky  floated  innumerable  flags  in  every 
direction,  while  the  Fifth  Regimental  Corps  Band, 
early  on  the  ground,  entertained  the  crowd  with 
patriotic  airs.  "  Dixie,"  "  Yankee  Doodle,"  "  Mary 
land,  my  Maryland,"  and  "  The  Star  Spangled 
Banner,"  were  all  played  and  received  equal  ap 
plause,  even  if  in  the  hearts  of  a  few  "  Dixie  " 
was  responsible  for  a  touch  of  sadness.  Col. 
Frank  Supplee  was  chairman  of  the  arrangement 
committee,  prominent  among  whom  was  Arthur 
George  Brown,  Esq.,  a  son  of  George  William 
Brown,  who  was  Mayor  of  Baltimore  in  1861, 
and  who  bravely  marched  at  the  head  of  the 
"  6 th "  regiment  when  it  was  threatened  by  the 
mob.  Amongst  the  citizens'  committee  also  were 
a  number  of  the  Confederate  Veterans'  Associ 
ation,  who  laughingly  confessed  to  having  thrown 
rocks  in  '61,  but  they  were  throwing  flowers 
in  '98. 

When  the  regiment  landed  from  the  train  it  was 
to  find  itself  in  a  station  gay  with  national  colors 
in  every  shape  and  form  with  streamers  bearing 
the  words,  "A  hearty  welcome  to  the  6th  Regi 
ment."  Another  had  the  words,  "  Maryland  and 
Massachusetts.  The  5th  is  in  the  field,  the  6th  is 
coming."  While  a  third  bore  the  inscription  of 


i  6         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

Webster's    immortal  words,  "  Liberty  and  union, 
now  and  forever,  one  and  inseparable." 

When  the  regiment  appeared,  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  people  in  and  about  the  station  wras  without 
limit.  Women  waved  their  handkerchiefs  and 
men  hugged  each  other  and  danced.  The  sound 
of  the  hoarse  cheering  outside,  mingled  with  the 
strains  of  the  band,  floated  into  the  station  and 
gave  the  tired  soldiers  their  first  taste  of  true 
Maryland  hospitality.  It  was  known  that  a  col 
ored  company  was  in  the  regiment,  and  there  was 
an  interrogation  as  to  what  its  reception  would 
be.  But  the  wave  of  hospitable  welcome  with 
which  the  men  wrere  met  broke  over  all  barriers 
of  race  and  color.  All  shared  alike  in  the  recep 
tion  they  received,  and  no  one  knew  or  cared 
whether  a  man  was  black  or  white,  so  long  as  he 
had  6  on  his  hat.  The  men  were  stupefied. 
One  young  soldier  remarked :  "  You  people  make 
us  ashamed  of  ourselves.  We  have  n't  done  any 
thing  great.  If  we  get  half  a  chance,  we  will  try 
to  deserve  something  like  this  when  we  come  back, 
but  your  reception  is  so  warm  that  we  feel  as  if  we 
are  sailing  under  false  colors.'*  Souvenirs  of  wel 
come  were  given  to  each  man,  of  which  the  "  cut " 
is  a  fac-simile.  The  battalion  was  formed  upon 
the  platform  and  the  order  to  march  was  given, 
when  they  stepped  out  to  the  tune  of  "  On  the 


Reception  in  Baltimore         ig 

Banks  of  the  Wabash  "  and  inarched  into  the  main 
plaza,  where  another  storm  of  cheers,  hand-clap 
ping,  waving  of  flags,  and  other  demonstrations 
of  enthusiasm  were  shown.  Flowers,  cigarettes, 
and  cigars  were  showered  upon  the  men  without 
limit. 

As  the  troopers  marched  out  of  the  train-shed  a 
graceful  act  was  performed  through  the  efforts  of 
several  members  of  the  reception  committee.  Two 
small  boys,  Masters  David  Wilson  Miller  Glass  and 
Ferdinand  C.  Latrobe,  Jr.,  scattered  over  a  bushel 
of  roses  and  other  flowers  in  their  path  amidst 
much  cheering.  It  was  a  happy  thought  aptly 
carried  to  consummation,  and  the  smiling  faces 
of  the  soldiers  showed  that  they  appreciated  the 
courtesy. 

Mayor  Malster  was  introduced  to  the  members 
of  the  regiment  by  the  marshal  of  the  day  —  Colo 
nel  Supplee  —  and  that  official  immediately  began 
his  address  from  the  portico.  He  said  :  — 

"  Soldiers  of  the  Sixth  Massachusetts  Regiment  of 
Infantry,  I  join  with  the  citizens  of  Baltimore  to-day 
in  the  deferred  opportunity  of  thirty-seven  years  of  con 
gratulating  you  and  offering  you  the  hospitality  and 
protection  of  our  beloved  city.  Soldiers  of  Massachu 
setts,  the  latch-string  does  not  alone  hang  out  of  the 
doors  of  the  citizens  of  Baltimore,  but  the  door  is  open, 
and  we  ask  you  to  come  in.  You  need  have  no  fear 
to-day.  Look  around  you  and  you  will  see  that  there 


20 


The  Sixth  Massachusetts 


are  none  that  would  do  anything  that  could  wound  even 
the  most  sensitive  feeling.  You  have  inherited  the 
legacy  left  by  the  4old  6th,'  and  we  are  sure  you 
will  prove  yourselves  worthy  of  that  proud  name.  In 
history  their  names  are  written  in  the  blood  of  patriots. 
You  are  now  going  to  the  front  in  the  cause  of  humanity 
and  right,  but  you  are  going  against  a  foe  that  is  not 
worthy  of  your  steel.  When  you  return,  however,  we 
hope  that  each  individual  will  have  made  for  himself 
a  place  in  history,  and  I  am  sure  that  you  will  do  so  as 
the  loyal  sons  of  loyal  fathers." 

The  Mayor  then  presented,  in  the  following 
morels,  the  magnificent  floral  tribute  which  had 
been  secured  for  the  command  to  Colonel  Wood 
ward,  of  the  6th  regiment  :  - 

"  Colonel,  I  wish  to  present  your  command,  in  behalf 
of  the  citizens  of  Baltimore,  with  this  small  token  of 
their  good-will.  I  trust  that  you  will  not  measure  their 
feelings  by  the  size  of  the  gift,  nor  yet  by  its  life,  but 
I  sincerely  hope  that  its  fragrance  will  cement  forever 
the  friendship  of  Maryland  and  Massachusetts." 

Colonel  Woodward  accepted  the  gift  on  the  part 
of  the  regiment  in  a  few  words. 

"I  have,"  he  said,  "no  words  with  which  I  can 
adequately  express  my  feeling  in  this  matter,  and  appre 
ciation  for  the  honors  which  you  are  conferring  upon  us. 
The  present  war,  if  it  has  done  nothing  else,  has  had 
one  grand  and  glorious  effect  :  it  has  cemented  the 
country  as  solid  as  a  rock.  To-day,  from  Maryland  to 
Massachusetts,  from  the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf,  from  the 


Reception  in  Baltimore         21 

Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  we  are  as  one.  I  thank  you 
again,  good  people  of  Baltimore,  and  God  be  with  you 
now  and  forevermore." 

The  crowning  event  of  the  day,  if  it  be  possible 
to  speak  of  one  event  over  another  as  claiming 
that  distinction,  was  this  presentation  to  the  regi 
ment  of  a  magnificent  floral  piece  from  the  citizens 
of  Baltimore.  It  was  an  immense  bank  of  red 
and  white  roses  artistically  arranged  on  a  litter 
and  carried  in  the  procession  by  two  colored  por 
ters  from  the  Mt.  Royal  station.  The  flowers 
were  held  in  place  by  long  streamers  of  blue  and 
white  ribbon,  bearing  the  following  inscription : 

"  Maryland  honors  Massachusetts. 
Baltimore  welcomes  6th  Mass. 
God  preserve  you  and  bring  you  safely  home. 

When  leaving,  every  man,  as  he  boarded  the  train, 
was  handed  a  box  of  luncheon,  in  each  of  which 
was  a  card  bearing  the  following  words  of  welcome  : 

«~~~~~^«*«  fRarpland's  Greeting  to  massacDusetts, 

Baltimore  and  Boston  Clasp  Bands. 


BalliMorc  «rts»K»  6od  SM«4  to  II*  Wstortc 

6tf>   IttassacMisetts   Volunteers,. 


a  Called  Country  honors  ih«m  u>ho  are  raiirins  lo  Ixr  0«r«t*«.    Rap  ir>e  meworp 
of  1861  b«  effaced  bp  the  »accm«  or  1898. 


Do  We  cooe  you?-tku>cp.  Baltimore,  map  21. 1898. 

The  stimulus  of  adversity  being  removed  from 
the  regiment,   they  followed   in  the  wake   of  all 


22         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

such  experiences.  Outposts  were  forgotten  in 
sight  of  the  decorated  interiors,  and  guards  were 
asking  the  password  from  the  sex  who  are  sup 
posed  to  figure  in  war  only  in  the  hospitals.  The 
entire  regiment  fell  to  eating  and  drinking,  and 
became  an  easy  subject  for  the  enemy. 

The  good  resolutions  of  emulating  the  example 
of  the  "  old  6th  "  were  entirely  forgotten,  and,  as 
great  warriors  have  been  known  to  do  before,  so 
the  6th  in  the  light  of  the  eyes  of  Baltimore  went 
to  pieces.  Yes,  almost  literally;  for  when  they 
boarded  the  train  nothing  but  their  cartridge  belts 
kept  their  coats  on,  for  all  their  buttons  had 
been  left  in  Baltimore.  But  the  Capitol  was  not 
waiting  to  be  saved,  and  there  was  no  prospect 
of  sleeping  in  "  Speakers'  "  chairs,  or  of  lunching 
off  the  Honorables'  desks  as  the  "old  6th"  had 
done. 

Much  that  was  written  regarding  the  march 
through  Baltimore  in  '61,  though  conceived  in  a 
different  spirit,  is  applicable  to  the  changed  con 
dition  existing  to-day.  Thus  may  the  following 
lines  be  appropriated  :  — 

u  Whatever  rank  among  the  conflicts  of  the  late  war 
the  march  of  the  ever  famous  6th  through  Baltimore 
may,  as  a  military  movement,  ultimately  assume,  it  can 
never  fail  to  confer  proud  distinction,  upon  its  heroes 
from  its  peculiarity  of  time,  place,  and  incidents." 


Reception  in  Baltimore         23 

This  reception  was  without  question  the  most 
dramatic  event  of  the  war  on  American  soil.  For 
it  was  not  a  mere  reception  and  patriotic  demon 
stration.  It  was  the  new  national  spirit  rising 
Phoenix-like  from  the  ashes  of  '61.  It  was  not 
Baltimore  and  Massachusetts  alone  joining  hands, 
it  was  the  meeting  of  the  conservative  representa 
tives  of  a  New  South  and  a  New  North  under 
circumstances  of  the  deepest  import  in  a  national 
crisis. 

Senator  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  who  had  gone  over 
from  Washington  to  meet  the  regiment,  said :  — 

"  Baltimore  has  made  history.  She  has  let  fall  a  rose 
bud  of  affection  which  will  touch  the  heart  of  the  entire 
nation.  No  city  but  Baltimore  could  have  performed 
such  an  act.  She  has  lifted  up  her  name  to  the  very 
pinnacle  of  renown.  Upon  that  over- topping  monu 
ment  of  splendid  fraternal  patriotism  the  entire  world 
may  gaze  and  see  there  for  themselves  the  character 
and  splendor  of  our  people." 

ADAPTED  FIIOM  VERSES  OF  '61. 

"  THE  sons  of  Massachusetts  they  marched  unto  the  war, 
And  on  that  day  upon  the  way  they  stopped  at  Baltimore, 
And  trustingly  expected  the  customary  cheers 
Which  every  loyal  city  gave  the  Yankee  volunteers. 

"  So  generous  grew  the  multitude  they  rushed   at  them  amain 
And  a  great  storm  of  flowers  came  pouring  down  like  rain, 
And  a  thundering  clamor  such  as  mortal  seldom  hears. 
They  tried  to  cross  the  city,  did  the  Yankee  volunteers. 


24        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

"  Those  very  numerous  luncheons  laid  many  a  soldier  low. 
Still  the  kindly  hearts  forbore  to  give  the  fatal  blow 
Till  all  the  people  shouted,  '  They  're  nearly  dead  from  cheers, 
AVe  '11  hurry  up  and  finish  those  Yankee  volunteers.'  " 

Then  unto  each  brave  soldier  a  little  box  was  given 
That  showed  a  long  blue  card  where  the  lid  was  riven : 
"  Do  we  love  you?     Dewey."  —  The  soldiers  said  that  great 
Like  all  the  rest  in  Baltimore  in  1898. 

"  To  the  Mayor  of  Baltimore  :  — 

u  The  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  is  profoundly 
touched  by  the  brotherly  and  enthusiastic  welcome  ex 
tended  by  the  mayor  and  citizens  of  Baltimore  to  the 
Sixth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  United  States  Volun 
teers.  In  the  name  of  the  Commonwealth  I  beg  you  to 

accept  her  grateful  thanks. 

"  ROGER  WOLCOTT." 


Camp  Alger  25 


CHAPTER  III 

CAMP   ALGER 

WASHINGTON  not  being  reached  until  late 
in  the  evening,  there  was  no  formal  parade, 
the  regiment  crossing  directly  to  the  station  where 
the  Dun  Loring  train  was  waiting,  and  boarded  it 
as  tired  as  a  lot  of  schoolboys  after  a  holiday.  A 
block  in  the  road  delaying  the  train  the  troops 
remained  on  board  until  the  following  morning, 
when  they  marched  directly  to  the  camp,  and  were 
assigned  the  location  just  vacated  by  the  District 
of  Columbia  troops. 

The  environment  of  the  camp  was  far  from 
being  in  a  proper  condition  for  troops,  and  a  pol 
luted  stream  bordering  the  grounds  added  to  the 
danger  of  the  situation.  Drinking  water  had  to 
be  carried  a  long  distance  from  wells  and  springs 
until  artesian  wells  w^ere  sunk  near  the  camp, 
after  which  a  bountiful  supply  of  good  water  was 
obtained. 

The  regiment  had  wall  tents,  good  food,  and  was 
as  comfortable  as  could  be  expected  in  the  heat  and 
dust  of  Virginia  in  June.  Passes  w^ere  issued  for 


26        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

the  men  to  go  to  Washington,  giving  all  who 
desired  it  a  chance  to  visit  the  Capitol. 

On  the  22d  of  May,  Lieut.  Butler  Ames  re 
ceived  the  appointment  of  adjutant  of  the  regi 
ment  as  successor  to  Curtis  Guild,  Jr.,  who  had 
resigned  his  commission,  and  was  immediately 
appointed  by  Major  General  Graham  as  corps  engi 
neer  officer,  with  instructions  to  devote  all  the  time 
he  could  spare  from  his  regimental  duties  to  secur 
ing  a  proper  supply  of  water.  Artesian  wells  were 
driven  in  different  parts  of  the  camp,  the  first  one 
being  near  the  camp  of  the  6th,  and  this  one  gave 
a  plentiful  supply  of  good  water  for  the  6th 
Massachusetts  and  the  8th  Ohio  regiments,  which 
were  camped  on  adjoining  sites. 

May  the  22d  was  a  gala  day,  as  President 
McKinley,  Secretary  Alger,  General  Miles,  and  a 
number  of  members  of  the  Cabinet  visited  the 
camp  and  reviewed  the  troops,  expressing  them 
selves  as  greatly  pleased  with  the  appearance  of  the 
brigade,  of  which  the  8th  Ohio,  the  "President's 
own,"  enrolled  two  of  the  President's  nephews  as 
privates. 

On  May  24  the  6th  was  brigaded  with  the  6th 
Illinois  and  the  8th  Ohio;  and,  pending  the 
arrival  of  a  brigade  commander,  Col.  D.  Jack 
Foster  of  the  6th  Illinois,  being  the  senior  colonel, 
was  placed  in  command. 


Camp  Alger  29 

The  next  day  a  flag,  presented  by  Congressman 
Sprague,  who  had  previously  shown  his  friendship 
for  the  regiment  by  the  gift  of  several  hundred 
gallons  of  spring  water,  was  raised  on  a  TO-foot 
pole  which  had  been  erected  for  the  purpose  near 
the  colonel's  headquarters.  As  Congressman 
Sprague  was  unable  to  be  present,  Congressman 
McCall  made  the  presentation  speech,  and  Colonel 
Woodward  raised  the  flag  to  the  accompaniment  of 
three  rousing  cheers  from  the  men. 

FEOM  %>  COOLIDGE.*' 

WASHINGTON,  May  25. 

There  was  a  flag-raising  in  the  camp  of  the  6th  to-day, 
and  it  was  the  most  impressive  incident  thus  far  in  the 
life  of  Camp  Alger.  It  was  not  an  ordinary  flag-raising. 
The  banner  which  was  flung  out  in  the  May  sun  this 
afternoon  was  cheered  and  saluted  by  a  thousand  Massa 
chusetts  boys  whose  presence  there  was  a  pledge  of  their 
willingness  to  die  in  its  defence.  And  it  may  be  in  the 
chances  of  war  that  every  one  of  those  who  reverently 
bared  their  heads  as  the  Stars  and  Stripes  shot  up  the 
staff  will  soon  be  called  on  to  put  his  pledge  to  the  test. 
The  flag  was  the  gift  of  Congressman  Sprague.  It  was 
brought  to  camp  this  morning  by  Mr.  Baker,  the  Con 
gressman's  secretary,  and  presented  by  him  to  Colonel 
Woodward.  It  is  much  larger  and  handsomer  than  any 
of  the  other  flags  in  camp,  and  as  it  flies  conspicuously 
from  the  top  of  the  knoll  on  which  the  regiment  have 
raised  their  tents  it  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sights 
for  miles  around. 


30        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

To  Company  F,  from  Marlboro,  was  assigned  the 
honor  of  raising  the  flag,  and  they  cut  a  pole  nearly 
seventy  feet  high  in  the  neighboring  woods  and  placed 
it  on  the  very  summit  of  the  knoll.  When  the  time 
came  for  the  raising,  all  the  men  in  the  regiment  gathered 
around  the  pole  in  a  great  circle.  Captain  Jackson  of 
the  Marlboro  Company  let  loose  the  flag  while  the  fifes 
and  drums  played  the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner."  The 
men  stood  with  uncovered  heads,  and  Major  Marion, 
the  regimental  surgeon,  who  had  the  ceremonies  in 
charge,  presented  Representative  McCall,  who  had  been 
asked  by  Congressman  Sprague  to  say  a  few  words 
appropriate  to  the  occasion. 

Mr.  McCall's  speech  was  a  model  of  simple  and  affect 
ing  eloquence,  and  more  than  once  he  was  interrupted 
by  cheers. 

Mr.  McCall  spoke  of  Mr.  Sprague's  act  of  generosity 
and  patriotism,  and  said  that  he  himself  could  better 
learn  patriotism  than  teach  it  in  the  presence  of  the 
brave  men  of  the  6th  Regiment.  "  You  have  shown 
your  devotion,"  he  said,  "  to  the  flag  we  have  just  raised 
by  offering  to  face  the  perils  of  battle,  and  the  possibly 
more  deadly  perils  of  climate,  in  the  service  of  your 
country.  You  come  from  a  State  that  is  justly  proud 
of  her  institutions,  her  citizenship,  and  her  glorious  his 
tory,  but  her  people  take  a  yet  loftier  pride  in  our  com 
mon  country,  and  above  the  white  flag  of  Massachusetts 
they  put  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  She  has  loyally  responded 
to  the  call  of  the  President  by  promptly  filling  her  quota 
with  her  best-disciplined  and  best-equipped  troops,  with 
such  men  as  fill  your  ranks  and  make  you  the  worthy 
successor  of  that  regiment  whose  historic  name  you 
bear.  We  cannot  foretell  what  may  be  the  destiny  of 
the  flag  which  you  proudly  raise  to-day,  but  of  this  we 


Camp  Alger  3  i 

feel  sure,  that  it  will  never  come  down  in  dishonor.  In 
the  keeping  of  your  strong  arms  and  brave  hearts  its 
lustre  will  remain  undimmed.  We  fervently  hope  that 
you  may  return  with  ranks  unbroken  ;  but  whatever  may 
befall,  we  know  that  your  record  will  form  a  bright  page 
in  the  history  of  your  State  and  in  the  history  of  your 
country." 

Colonel  Woodward  responded,  the  Fife  and  Drum 
Corps  played  "America,"  and  the  men  sang  it  with  a 
will.  Then  there  were  cheers  for  Mr.  Sprague,  for  Mr. 
Me  Call,  for  the  colonel,  for  all  the  officers  of  the  regi 
ment,  and  for  everybody  imaginable,  including  the 
regiment's  mascot ;  and  the  men  dispersed  to  the  routine 
duties  of  the  camp. 

On  June  1,  the  9th  Massachusetts  regiment 
arrived  at  Camp  Alger,  and  went  into  camp  about 
two  miles  from  the  6th. 

The  2d  brigade  of  the  1st  division,  of  which 
the  6th  was  a  part,  had  been  placed  under  com 
mand  of  Brigadier  General  George  A.  Garretson  of 
Ohio,  a  personal  friend  of  both  President  McKinley 
and  Secretary  Alger,  and  it  was  thought  that  this 
brigade,  being  the  best  equipped  and  best  drilled  in 
camp,  would  be  the  first  to  be  sent  to  the  front. 

On  June  7  the  recruiting  detail,  consisting  of 
Majors  Taylor  and  Darling,  Captain  Cook,  and  one 
private  or  non-commissioned  officer  from  each  com 
pany,  left  for  Boston  to  recruit  the  regiment  to 
full  war  strength  of  1327  men,  32  men  being 
needed  in  each  company.  A  few  days  later  Pay- 


3  2         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

master  Bailey  of  Massachusetts  arrived  in  camp 
and  paid  the  men  the  money  given  them  by  the 
State,  and  on  June  17  the  men  received  their  first 
pay  from  the  United  States  government. 

The  17th  of  June  was  a  holiday  at  camp,  and 
was  properly  observed  as  it  should  be  by  Massachu 
setts  men.  A  baseball  game  between  teams  from 
the  6 th  and  9th  regiments  was  played  in  the  morn 
ing,  and  a  long  programme  of  athletic  sports  was 
carried  out  in  the  afternoon.  All  camp  duty 
except  guard  mount  was  omitted,  and  the  men  had 
nothing  to  do  except  to  enjoy  themselves  all  day. 
In  the  evening  there  was  a  display  of  fireworks  in 
the  camp  of  the  9th,  refreshments  were  served, 
and  the  band  of  one  of  the  Michigan  regiments 
played  in  front  of  Colonel  Bogan's  headquarters 
until  "  taps." 

Dr.  Marion  resigned  his  commission  July  25, 
together  with  Lieut.  Charles  E.  Walton  of  Co. 
A.  Surgeon  Dow  succeeded  to  the  rank  of  Major 
in  place  of  Dr.  Marion,  while  Surgeon  Wash- 
burn  took  Dr.  Dow's  place,  making  a  vacancy  in 
the  medical  staff  which  was  immediately  filled  by 
the  appointment  of  Dr.  Herman  Gross  of  Brookline. 

The  certainty  of  the  regiment's  going  into  service 
brought  into  the  ranks  a  number  of  men  who  were 
waiting  until  they  were  sure  it  was  not  going  to 
summer  in  the  States  before  enlisting.  Among  the 


Camp  Alger  33 

recruits  enlisted  by  the  officers  who  returned  to  the 
North  was  a  large  percentage  of  college  men,  of 
which  Company  A  claimed  ten  from  Harvard 
alone.  Each  company  was  recruited  to  its  full 
allowance  of  one  hundred  and  six  men,  all  in  fine 
condition,  restless  in  the  delay  of  the  order  to 
move.  The  seeming  slowness  in  filling  up  the 
ranks  was  due  to  the  severe  tests  applied  to  re 
cruits,  the  physical  examinations  being  of  the  most 
searching  character. 

The  arrival  of  every  new  squad  of  recruits  was 
heralded  at  the  entrance  of  camp  by  the  cry  of 
"  Rookies ! "  And  as  the  newly  enlisted  man 
with  his  breast  swelling  with  patriotism  and  his 
heart  beating  rapidly  passed  in  review  down  the 
company  street  subject  to  an  inspection  more 
searching  than  any  official  one,  he  was  greeted 
with  encouraging  cries  of  "  You  '11  be  sorry."  "  I 
had  a  good  home  and  I  left  it,"  etc.  After  report 
ing  at  headquarters  each  recruit  was  assigned  to 

quarters  in  tent  No. ,  where  whatever  guying  he 

might  have  to  meet,  he  was  sure  of  finding  good 
fellows  who  gladly  shared  food,  bedding,  etc.,  and 
who  became  his  tutors  during  his  novitiate  until 
he  had  learned  the  ropes  and  was  quite  ready  to 
extend  a  similar  welcome  to  the  next  "rookie." 

It  was  here  that  the  story  was  told  of  the  western 
private  whose  martial  education  had  been  in  town 

3 


34         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

and  not  at  the  front,  when  approached  one  night 
by  General  Garretson,  visiting  the  guard,  surprised 
him  by  the  challenge  of  "Here  comes  de  main 
Guy;  turn  out  de  push." 

The  camp  at  this  time  numbered  over  10,000 
men,  and  was  indeed  a  white  city,  with  its  streets 
reaching  over  the  knolls  into  the  pine  woods,  where 
half  screened  by  the  trees  the  colors  marked  the 
regimental  headquarters. 

The  neighing  of  horses,  the  rattle  of  empty 
wagons,  tramp  of  the  troops,  while  above  all 
sounded  the  ceaseless  roll  of  drums  or  practice  of 
bands,  with  all  the  necessary  accompaniments  of  a 
great  camp,  made  a  life  of  activity  comparable 
to  nothing  outside  the  army.  Entire  streets,  bor 
dered  with  restaurants,  jewellers,  photographers, 
seemed  to  spring  up  in  a  night,  while  a  theatre 
and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Salvation  Army  tents 
added  to  the  cosmopolitan  aspect  of  the  place. 

There  was  talk  of  marching  the  brigade  to  the 
transports,  across  the  State,  and  a  probability  of 
there  being  plenty  of  work  to  do  in  the  near  future  ; 
so  a  preliminary  march  was  made  to  the  Potomac, 
the  men  going  in  heavy  marching  order  and  spend 
ing  the  night  in  their  dog  tents. 

The  move  was  made  in  every  detail  as  though 
in  the  enemy's  country,  with  an  advance  guard, 
wagon  train  heavily  guarded,  etc.  The  men  slept 


Camp  Alger  3  5 

on  their  arms  ready  to  repulse  the  attack  of  any 
enemy  that  materialized,  but  were  disappointed  in 
being  able  to  sleep  undisturbed. 

The  6th  started  to  return  to  Camp  Alger  about 
11  o'clock  on  the  28th,  having  left  the  temporary 
camp  at  Ball's  Hill  on  the  Potomac  at  6.10  in  the 
morning,  about  an  hour  in  advance  of  the  two 
other  regiments  in  the  brigade.  The  plan  was  to 
have  the  6th  Massachusetts  take  up  a  position  on 
the  road  and  try  to  prevent  the  8th  Ohio  and  6th 
Illinois  from  reaching  Camp  Alger. 

The  6th  took  its  stand  about  four  miles  from 
camp  and  awaited  the  coming  of  the  others. 
Blank  cartridges  had  been  provided,  and  orders 
were  issued  that  all  firing  should  cease  when  the 
regiments  were  within  50  feet  of  each  other.  The 
8th  Ohio  boys  became  so  excited,  however,  that  they 
charged  up  to  within  three  feet  of  the  6th  Massa 
chusetts,  and  during  the  scrimmage  one  of  the  Bay 
State  boys,  Private  Harvey  Reed,  of  Company  B, 
received  a  painful  wound  from  the  wad  of  a  blank 
cartridge.  A  member  of  the  8th  Ohio  fired  into 
his  face,  blowing  away  part  of  his  ear  and  filling 
his  cheek  and  eyes  full  of  powder. 

It  was  thought  at  first  that  Reed  would  lose 
his  eyesight,  but  fortunately  this  was  not  the  case, 
although  he  was  not  able  to  return  to  duty  for 
some  time. 


36         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

Major  Weybrecht  of  the  Sth  Ohio,  who  com 
manded  the  attacking  forces,  received  a  painful 
powder  burn  on  the  back  of  the  neck,  and  one  of 
the  Sth  Ohio  boys  had  his  hand  badly  cut  by  a 
sword. 

The  3d  battalion  of  the  6th  Massachusetts  did 
outpost  duty  the  night  before  at  Ball's  Hill,  and 
was  so  watchful  that  the  cavalry,  who  were  hover 
ing  around  the  limits  of  the  camp,  could  find  no 
opening  to  make  an  attack. 

When  the  6th  Massachusetts  was  marching 
toward  camp,  before  the  sham  battle  took  place, 
it  met  another  brigade  starting  out  for  a  route 
march.  The  3d  Missouri  had  the  rear  guard  in 
this  brigade,  and  refused  to  let  the  6th  boys  through 
its  lines. 

One  company  of  Missourians  drew  up  in  company 
front  across  the  road,  and  their  captain  halted  Com 
pany  H  of  the  6th,  which  was  acting  as  advance 
guard.  Captain  Sweetser  expostulated  in  vain. 
The  Missouri  captain  said  he  had  orders  to  let  no 
one  through  the  lines,  and  he  intended  to  obey 
them.  Colonel  Woodward  and  Adjutant  Ames 
rode  up  and  tried  to  induce  the  captain  to  with 
draw  his  men,  but  all  to  no  purpose. 

Some  of  the  Missourians  seized  the  colonel's  and 
adjutant's  horses  by  the  head,  and  for  a  few 
moments  it  looked  as  if  there  would  be  serious 


Camp  Alger  37 

trouble.  Finally  Colonel  Woodward,  seeing  that 
neither  argument  nor  persuasion  would  prevail, 
gave  the  order  to  the  6th  Massachusetts  boys  to 
force  their  way  through.  The  men  fixed  bayonets 
and  started  in  column  of  fours,  and  the  Missouri 
troops  were  forced  to  give  way. 

While  Company  F  was  on  outpost  duty,  their 
headquarters  were  at  the  plantation  occupied  by 
General  Sheridan  during  the  civil  war. 

June  30,  taps  had  been  blown  and  only  an  occa 
sional  murmur  of  voices  told  of  a  few  men  who 
were  still  lying  awake  when  suddenly  the  report  of 
rifles  and  the  assembly  call  was  heard,  followed  by 
the  first  sergeant  calling  for  companies  to  fall  in 
as  they  were.  The  roll  was  called,  and  every  man 
who  did  not  respond  wras  marked  and  the  list  sent 
to  headquarters.  We  were  then  ordered  to  turn 
in  and  go  to  sleep.  The  cause  was  afterwards 
learned.  A  crowd  of  soldiers  were  loose  in  Wash 
ington,  and  the  War  Department  had  ordered  a 
roll-call  at  Camp  Alger  to  learn  the  names  of  the 
men  who  were  out. 

The  tentage  furnished  by  the  State  of  Massa 
chusetts  to  the  regiment  on  muster  in,  upon  in 
spection  at  Camp  Alger,  was  condemned  and  by 
order  was  left  on  the  ground  for  use  of  future  occu 
pants.  New  tentage  was  supplied  at  Dun  Loring 
which  was  taken  with  the  regiment's  baggage  to 


38         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

Porto  Rico,  and  eventually  unloaded  at  Ponce, 
where  by  the  order  of  General  Henry  it  was  stored 
and  left. 

Most  of  the  companies'  and  a  part  of  the  regi 
ment's  boxes  were  never  found,  although  a  thorough 
search  was  made  in  the  holds  of  all  accessible 
transports. 

The  half-shelter  tents,  commonly  known  as  dog 
or  pup  tents,  which  were  given  the  men  here,  were 
used  as  the  outside  cover  for  the  rolls,  and  on 
camping  two  of  them  were  buttoned  together  to 
form  a  tent,  to  enter  which  it  was  necessary  to  get 
down  on  all  fours  and  crawl  in.  That  such  a 
little  shelter  should  ever  come  to  be  considered 
with  any  degree  of  affection  or  look  attractive 
seemed  at  first  sight  impossible,  but  later  the  men 
learned  after  a  long  day's  march  or  during  a 
storm,  that  even  a  shelter  tent  had  a  degree  of 
privacy  and  protection  that  savored  of  their  own 
rooms  at  home. 

Singing,  as  in  all  camps,  was  a  favorite  pastime 
with  the  men,  and  the  regiment  was  fortunate  in 
having  an  unusual  number  of  good  voices.  Each 
company  had  its  glee  club,  and  after  supper,  as 
night  fell,  you  were  sure  to  hear  from  every  street 
the  familiar  choruses  by  the  men,  varied  by  occa 
sional  solos  by  the  best  singers.  "  Break  the  News 
to  Mother,"  "  Say  Au  Revoir,"  "  Nearer,  my  God,  to 


Camp  Alger  39 

Thee,"  "Marching  through  Georgia/'  "The  Old 
Oaken  Bucket,"  etc.,  were  favorites  of  an  endless 
repertoire.  The  singing  on  shipboard  later  when 
the  men  wrere  thrown  more  closely  together  was 
particularly  good. 

After  numerous  false  rumors  had  raised  the 
expectations  of  the  men  as  to  leaving,  on  July  5th 
the  order  came  to  strike  tents,  and  the  evening  of 
that  day  found  the  men  on  board  the  train  en 
route  for  Charleston,  in  cars  that  no  emigrant 
company  would  dare  place  in  service  to-day.  Dirty 
as  they  were  on  leaving  camp,  at  the  end  of  the 
run  to  Charleston  24  hours  later,  during  which 
time  the  men,  being  provided  with  travelling  ra 
tions,  had  not  been  allowed  to  leave  their  assigned 
cars,  they  were  in  a  condition  that  I  would  not 
wish  to  picture  to  my  readers,  even  if  their  imagi 
nations  were  capable  of  reproducing  it. 

We  reached  Charleston  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  but  were  kept  in  the  cars  until  the  fol 
lowing  afternoon,  alongside  a  Western  regiment 
whose  train,  composed  entirely  of  sleeping  cars, 
pulled  in  next  to  ours,  having  casks  of  ice  water 
on  every  platform.  During  the  night  a  number 
of  men  got  out  of  the  car  windows  and  went  into 
the  town  for  food  and  drink. 

"  And  if  sometimes  our  conduck  is  n't  all  your  fancy  paints, 
Why,  single  men  in  barricks  don't  grow  into  plaster  saints." 


40        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

The  following  afternoon  we  were  quartered  in  a 
hot,  foul-smelling  warehouse,  where  the  only  water, 
we  were  told,  was  not  fit  to  drink,  yet  no  other 
was  provided.  All  who  could,  got  passes  to  go 
into  the  city  for  supper,  and  to  make  last  purchases 
for  personal  use. 

The  half  dozen  men  who  were  fortunate  enough 
to  get  to  the  hotel  for  a  square  meal  were  in 
formed  after  dinner  that  privates  about  the  hotel 
were  de  trap  in  the  presence  of  the  officials 
who  were  there.  As  going  on  the  street  meant 
being  run  in,  the  only  alternative  was  resorted  to 
of  returning  to  the  warehouse. 

The  men  of  the  6th  are  not  angels  but  they  are 
average  men,  and  the  severe  attack  made  by  some 
of  the  newspapers  on  the  regiment  was  unjustifi 
able  both  in  its  description  of  the  existing  condi 
tion  of  affairs  in  the  city,  and  in  not  stating  the 
fact  that  there  were  six  thousand  troops  there  at 
the  time.  The  following  letter  published  in  the 
"  Globe  "  under  date  of  July  8,  describes  the  con 
dition  of  affairs  as  seen  by  an  outsider  :  — 

CHARLESTON,  S.  C.,  July  7. 

To-night  there  are  nearly  six  thousand  troops  sleep 
ing  on  the  docks  in  this  city  under  sheds  and  in  ware 
houses.  The  former  get  all  the  air  there  is  going,  that 
is  very  little,  while  the  latter  are  suffering  considerably 
from  the  heat. 

All  day  long  the  troops  have  had  to  stand  on   the 


Camp  Alger 


wharf,  suffering  from  the  heat  and  the  want  of  a  cool 
drink,  while  the  6th  Massachusetts  has  been  cooped 
up  all  day  in  the  trains  that  brought  the  men  here. 

The  command  arrived  here  last  night  at  8.30,  and  it 
was  just  10.15  to-night  when  the  last  company  was 
allowed  to  leave  the  train  and  put  foot  on  terra  firnia, 
making  a  total  of  25 1  hours  the  boys  had  to  remain  in 
old  stuffy  cars  that  are  relics  of  the  past. 

The  trains  full  of  soldiers  stood  in  almost  tropical 
heat  for  25|  hours,  and  then  the  men  were  put  up  in 


SHAVING  UNDER  DIFFICULTIES. 

a  place  not  fit  for  a  Christian  to  sleep  in,  while  there 
are  many  vacant  lots  where  the  men  might  have  pitched 
their  tents  and  been  comfortable  all  day  and  got  in  two 
good  nights'  rest.  One  officer  said  to-night,  "  God  help 
us,  if  this  is  the  kind  of  treatment  we  may  expect  when 
we  reach  Cuba." 

At  midnight  the  boys  of  the  6th  were  sleeping  soundly, 
with  the  exception  of  the  guard. 


42         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

Colonel  Woodward  and  staff  to-day  established  head 
quarters  at  the  Charleston  hotel,  and  several  of  the  line 
officers  intended  to  spend  the  night  there,  while  others 
went  across  the  street  to  the  St.  Charles  hotel.  At  ten 
o'clock  General  Garretson  ordered  that  every  line  officer 
in  his  brigade  should  sleep  with  the  men,  and  Adjutant 
Ames  started  off  in  a  hack  to  notify  the  officers  of  the 
6th,  and  all  had  to  give  up  their  beds  and  join  their 
commands.  Major  Taylor  of  the  6th  Massachusetts 
arrived  this  evening  and  reported  for  duty  to  Colonel 
Woodward.  He  received  a  cordial  welcome  from  his 
brother  officers. 

To-day  Captain  Williams  of  Company  L  was  con 
siderably  worse,  and  Surgeons  Dow  and  Washburn  ad 
vised  the  captain  to  go  to  the  hospital.  A  hack  was 
procured  and  this  evening  before  midnight  the  captain 
was  improved,  and  the  surgeons  in  charge  hope  to  have 
him  in  condition  to  go  with  the  regiment  to-morrow. 

J.  HARRY  HARTLEY. 

"  Man}r  stories  of  how  the  swiftest  gang  of  soldiers 
spent  the  night  were  heard  yesterday.  In  one  place  on 
Market  St.  there  is  a  little  slot  machine  which  has  made 
a  harvest  for  its  owner.  Hundreds  of  nickels  have 
been  dropped  in  and  few  have  come  out.  At  3  A.  M. 
yesterday  half  a  dozen  soldiers  met  in  the  place  to  have 
some  fun.  One  of  them  started  off  by  dropping  nickels 
in  the  slot.  He  slipped  in  five  and  the  pocket  refused 
to  open.  He  was  just  about  ready  to  drop  in  the  sixth 
when  a  big,  tall  fellow  said,  *  T'  'ell  wid  de  slot,'  and 
grabbed  it  in  his  arms  and  disappeared.  The  other 
soldiers  followed,  while  the  proprietor  of  the  place 
yelled  and  screamed  for  the  police  to  catch  the  robbers. 
The  soldiers,  however,  got  safely  away.  Result,  divi 
sion  of  $2.00. 


Camp  Alger  43 

"Another  misdemeanor  :  A  young  woman  was  walk 
ing  through  the  market  yesterday  reading  a  paper.  She 
was  not  paying  much  attention  to  what  was  going  on 
about  her  until  she  happened  to  glance  up  and  found  a 
soldier  walking  quietly  beside  her.  He  asked  her  about 
the  news.  The  young  woman  gave  the  soldier  a  wither 
ing  look,  when  he  dropped  back  a  little  and  said,  '  Oh, 

I  don't  know,'  and  walked  away. 

k<  The  soldiers  had  money  to  burn  and  they  left  stacks 
of  ashes.  They  had  just  been  paid  off  before  starting 
South,  and  rolls  of  healthy  green  bills  were  flaunted 
from  the  car  windows  in  the  faces  of  the  people  in  the 
street.  The  men  felt  as  if  they  were  doing  their  last 
bit  of  blowing,  and  as  one  of  them  said,  'What  the 

II  —  do  we  want  with  stuff  in  Cuba?     We  can  steal 
it  there.'     This  was  the  way  they  looked  at  the  situa 
tion,   and  so  when  they  struck  the  streets  and  stores 
the   first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  shake  the  stuff  for 
something  to  make  the  owners  thereof  feel  good." 

When  the  regiment  was  ready  to  leave  the  fol 
lowing  morning,  the  doctors  pronounced  Captain 
Williams  too  ill  to  be  moved,  so  Company  L  left 
with  Lieutenant  Jackson  in  command,  Captain 
Williams  remaining  in  the  hospital  in  Charleston 
until  September,  when  he  returned  to  Boston. 

On  Friday,  what  threatened  to  cause  a  break  in 
the  regiment  by  the  leaving  of  some  men  on  the 
wharf,  after  two  detachments  had  already  been 
sent  to  the  "  Yale,"  leaving  but  one  company  to  be 
transported,  was  averted  only  by  the  prompt  action 


44         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

of  Adjutant  Butler  Ames,  who  remained  with  one 
company  and  who  after  the  departure  of  the 
steamer  was  informed  that  it  could  not  possibly 
make  another  trip  that  night.  As  he  knew  the 
"  Yale  "  was  to  sail  that  night,  immediately  after 
the  arrival  of  General  Miles,  the  adjutant,  with  his 
characteristic  promptness,  seeing  a  tug  tied  up  on 
the  wharf  near  by,  rushed  over  and  chartered  it, 
and  placing  Company  F  of  Marlboro  on  board, 
amid  the  cheers  of  thousands  of  citizens  and 
soldiers  steamed  out  of  the  harbor  to  the  "  Yale," 
where  he  was  given  a  welcome  reception. 


The  "Yale"  45 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE    "  YALE  " 

ON  the  morning  of  July  8  we  were  taken  on 
board  ferryboats  seven  miles  down  the 
Charleston  harbor,  past  Fort  Siunter  to  where  the 
"  Yale,"  formerly  the  "  City  of  Paris,"  lay  waiting 
for  us.  We  boarded  her  in  a  violent  thunderstorm, 
and  the  entire  regiment,  excepting  officers,  together 
with  one  company  of  the  6th  Illinois,  were  quar 
tered  on  deck  under  the  protection  of  "  The  Eli " 
and  the  "  Handsome  Dan,"  which  bristled  over  her 
forward  decks,  being  the  guns  presented  to  her  by 
the  students  of  Yale. 

At  midnight  General  Miles  and  his  staff  arrived 
from  Washington,  and  immediately  after  the  "  Yale  " 
started  for  Cuba.  The  run  down  was  uneventful, 
all  minds  being  filled  with  one  idea,  and  a  contem 
plation  of  the  expected  conflict  as  the  consumma 
tion  of  the  days  of  preparation.  We  passed  San 
Salvador,  the  first  landing-place  of  Columbus,  but 
it  excited  little  interest,  as  the  men  felt  about 
Columbus  as  Tom  Sawyer  did  about  Adam,  i.  e., 


46        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

that  he  had  been  dead  some  time,  and  they  wanted 
to  see  a  live  Spaniard. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  10th  a  steamer  was 
sighted  going  North.  The  "  Yale  "  signalled,  ask 
ing  for  news,  and  received  the  reply  :  "  Continuous 
heavy  fighting  in  front  of  Santiago  for  two  days." 


ADMIRAL  SAMPSON  AND  GENERAL  MILES. 

Early  the  next  morning  Cape  Maysi  was  sighted, 
and  during  the  forenoon  the  "  Yale"  passed  Quanta- 
namo,  where  the  marines  were  encamped,  and 
Baiquiri,  where  the  first  landing  of  troops  took 
place.  But  when  we  descried  in  the  distance  the 
puffs  of  smoke  rising  from  the  battleships  lying 


The  "Yale"  49 

off  Morro  Castle  and  heard  the  dull  boom  of  the 
guns,  as  it  came  to  us  across  the  water,  the  excite 
ment  among  the  men  showed  it  was  the  message 
they  had  been  waiting  to  hear.  It  was  the  end  of 
the  bombardment  of  Santiago  by  the  fleet,  as  it 
had  found  the  range  of  the  city  and  was  waiting 
for  land  operations  to  proceed  before  bombarding 
again. 

About  noon  we  arrived  off  Siboney,  and  reported 
to  the  "  New  York,"  and  Admiral  Sampson  came  on 
board  and  was  closeted  with  General  Miles  for  half 
an  hour,  when  the  final  plans  for  the  strategic  move 
of  the  combined  forces  of  the  army  and  navy  were 
arranged. 

General  Miles  afterwards  went  ashore,  landing 
at  Siboney,  when  in  a  very  short  time  the  flames 
rising  from  the  row  of  houses  signalled  the  message 
to  the  fleet  that  it  did  not  require  a  code  to  trans 
late,  of  the  prevalence  of  Yellow  Jack.  The 
village  was  burned  under  the  supervision  of  Dr. 
Greenleaf  of  Boston,  by  General  Miles's  order. 
When  the  General  returned  to  the  "  Yale  "  his  wor 
ried  expression  told  how  anxious  he  was  regarding 
the  fever  ashore,  and  the  possibility,  if  the  Spaniards 
held  out,  of  our  having  a  worse  foe  to  contend  with 
than  Spaniards. 

On  the  tenth  of  July  we  were  ordered  to  turn 
in  our  blue  uniforms,  as  we  were  wearing  the  brown 


50        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

canvas  suits,  and  there  was  every  reason  to  believe 
that  we  would  soon  be  in  a  position  on  shore  where 
we  would  want  no  superfluous  belongings.  On  the 
12th  General  Miles  again  went  on  shore,  and 
Colonel  Woodward  was  informed  that  the  regiment 
would  be  landed  in  a  small  bay  on  the  west  side 
of  the  city,  to  take  Sacopa  battery,  and  then  join 
the  right  wing  of  the  army.  The  next  morning, 
however,  the  truce  was  still  on,  and  the  landing 
was  postponed.  The  next  day  we  were  given 
three  days'  rations  and  ordered  to  prepare  to  land 
the  following  morning.  The  men  knew  what  it 
meant,  as  the  fate  of  the  regiments  in  Cuba  was 
well  known,  but  there  was  not  a  waver  or  sign  of 
regret  or  fear.  The  evening  of  the  loth  men 
spent  in  writing  letters  home  which  they  thought 
might  be  their  last,  and  in  talking  quietly  in 
groups,  or  in  some  cases  singing  hymns.  On 
the  other  hand  there  was  the  element  that  tried 
to  hide  all  feelings  of  seriousness,  and  to  cover  any 
expression  of  feeling  by  bravado  talk,  even  offering 
wagers  as  to  "  who  would  get  there  first."  A  se 
riousness  that  can  be  joked  about  now  pervaded 
the  entire  boat,  and  men  lay  down  to  sleep  with 
visions  of  New  England  homes  more  vividly  im 
pressed  than  usual  on  their  memories.  That  night 
the  signal  was  flashed  from  shore  that  we  were  to 
advance  the  following  day  and  take  the  Sacopa 


The  "Yale "  51 

battery  on  the  west  side  of  Morro  Castle,  thus 
completing  the  circle  about  Santiago. 

There  is  no  doubt  the  arrival  of  General  Miles 
with  the  transports  in  the  harbor  of  Siboney, 
and  the  view  of  these  from  Morro  as  we  steamed 
slowly  in  full  view  of  her  glasses  had  an  undue 
importance  in  the  final  decision  of  the  surrender 
of  Santiago,  as  the  news  of  the  arrival  of  an  appar 
ently  large  force  of  men  waiting  on  deck  in  heavy 
marching  order  was  signalled  from  Morro  to  San 
tiago,  confirming  General  Miles's  argument  to  the 
officials  that  he  had  an  unlimited  supply  of  men 
ready  to  land  and  that  it  would  be  better  for  his 
terms  to  be  accepted  with  the  transportation  of 
the  Spanish  troops  to  Spain  than  for  them  to 
await  the  inevitable  overpowering  and  lose  that 
advantage. 

When  the  hour  of  expiration  of  the  truce  passed 
and  the  white  fiag  still  told  of  a  continued  con 
ference,  and  possible  peace  without  our  landing, 
the  discontent  of  the  men  was  marked;  and  when 
the  signal  finally  came  that  "  Santiago  has  surren 
dered,"  the  cheers  and  jollification  was  for  another 
American  victory,  and  not  a  rejoicing  at  having 
escaped  the  dangers  of  Cuba ;  for  it  was  a  great 
disappointment  to  have  been  so  near  and  an 
eye  witness,  yet  "  not  to  have  been  in  at  the 
death." 


52        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

OFF  MOERO  CASTLE 

"  The  shrill  whistle  of  a  boatswain's  mate  fol 
lowed  by  the  nasal  drawl  of  a  sailor's  voice  calling 
the  Port  Watch  to  dinner,  broke  the  monotonous 
stillness  on  the  decks  of  the  United  States  cruiser 
'  Yale.' 

"  The  <  Yale/  swinging  lazily  in  the  blue  waters 
of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  lay  about  halfway  between 
the  Spanish  stronghold,  the  Castle  of  Morro,  and 
the  town  of  Siboney.  Her  decks  were  crowded 
with  soldiers  of  the  6th  Massachusetts  and  6th 
Illinois,  who  lay  sleeping  or  smoking,  and  vainly 
trying  to  keep  out  of  the  terrific  heat  of  the 
sun. 

"  With  the  boatswain's  whistle  a  few  got  up  and 
lounged  over  the  hot  decks  towards  the  <  forward 
companion-way '  that  led  to  the  sailors'  mess. 
Here  they  waited,  while  the  sailors  ate  their  piping 
hot  dinner,  with  a  half-hearted  hope  that  some 
of  the  well-fed  Jackies,  who  strolled  so  contentedly 
up  the  gangway  still  licking  their  chops,  might 
have  a  bit  of  bread  stowed  away  under  their 
white  shirts ;  but  their  patience  went  unrewarded, 
so  they  lounged  back  again  towards  their  respec 
tive  company  quarters  to  be  in  readiness  for  the 
mess  call  that  would  soon  sound  for  them.  In 
a  few  minutes  they  got  their  gill  of  coffee  and 


The  "Yale"  53 

their  mouldy  hardtack,  which,  with  the  fatty  salt 
pork  they  got,  they  made  into  greasy  sand 
wiches,  and  climbing  upon  the  rail  they  munched 
away  at  their  unappetizing  meal  and  drearily 
watched  the  ships  of  war  that  lay  about  them. 

"  Just  abreast  of  the  *  Yale  '  lay  the  '  Columbia/ 
the  water  sizzling  with  the  heat  as  it  sprayed 
against  her  iron  prow.  Astern  of  her  drifted  the  old 
'Massachusetts'  with  the  front  of  her  turrets 
and  fighting  mast  white  with  saltpetre,  and  the 
red  lead  showing  through  her  gray  war  paint  like 
blood.  In  the  distance  could  be  seen  the  '  New 
York,'  the  '  Oregon,'  the  '  Texas,5  and  many  other 
ships  of  battle. 

"  Off  the  port  bow  and  not  five  miles  away,  the 
Castle  of  Morro  stood  like  an  ancient  warrior,  keep 
ing  solitary  vigil  on  the  long,  high  ridge  of  land 
that  hides  Santiago  from  the  sea.  Above  the 
castle  floated  a  white  flag  of  truce. 

"  Behind  the  fort  was  Santiago,  backed  by  the 
high  hills  of  Cuba,  and  surrounded  by  Shafter's 
army.  Suddenly,  a  dozen  different  colored  pen 
nants  fluttered  to  the  mast-head  of  the  '  New 
York.'  Instantly  half  a  dozen  glasses  were  lev 
elled  at  them  from  the  bridge  of  the  '  Yale/  where 
army  and  navy  officers  gathered  to  catch  the 
order. 

" '  Form  line  of  battle  to  attack  Morro  and  bom- 


54       The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

bard  Santiago/  it  read.  The  armistice  would  be 
up  at  two  o'clock  and  it  then  lacked  fifteen  minutes 
of  two. 

"  Slowly  the  great  ships  swung  into  line.  From 
every  bridge  signals  were  being  wig-wagged  in 
rapid  order.  Everywhere  decks  were  being  cleared 
for  action.  The  little  '  Gloucester '  crept  away  in 
shore  and  steamed  cautiously  up  in  the  direction 
of  Morro. 

"  On  the  <  Yale/  sailors  sprang  to  their  stations, 
marines  manned  the  several  guns,  and  coolly  awaited 
the  order  to  '  fire.'  Soldiers  sought  good  positions 
from  which  to  observe  the  fun,  although  the  boats, 
heavily  loaded  with  ammunition  and  rations,  and 
swinging  out  over  the  water,  told  them  only  too 
plainly  that  a  part  of  the  work  would  be  reserved 
for  them. 

"  Five  minutes  of  two,  and  the  semi-circle  of  ships 
around  Morro  was  formed.  Slowly  the  minutes  crept 
along,  and  the  circle  grew  smaller  and  smaller. 
Two  minutes  of  two  and  the  little  '  Gloucester' 
seemed  right  under  the  very  guns  of  the  castle. 
Breathlessly  the  white  flag  over  Morro  was  watched. 
In  one  minute  it  must  come  down.  In  one  minute 
every  silent  ship  and  the  silent  fort  would  be 
wrapped  in  great,  yellow  clouds  of  smoke  from 
which  vivid  flashes  and  deafening  crashes  would 
follow  one  another  in  quick  succession. 


The  "Yalev  55 

"  After  what  seemed  hours,  the  ships'  bells  rang 
out  the  hour. 

"  Minute  after  minute  went  by,  while  the  ships 
lay  motionless  and  silent. 

u  Presently  it  was  discovered  that  the  '  New  York ' 
was  wig- wagging  to  some  one  on  shore.  Following 
along  the  line  of  beach  the  eye  came  to  the  bridge  on 
the  Siboney  railroad,  where  the  '  Michigan '  turned 
and  ran  under  the  fire  of  the  guns  of  Morro.  Then 
a  little  to  the  left  of  the  bridge  a  white  flag  with  a 
red  spot  in  the  centre  wig-wagged  the  message, 
'  General  Toral  has  surrendered  Santiago  and  the 
whole  of  Western  Cuba.' 

"  No  sooner  had  the  message  been  finished  than  a 
mighty  cheer  arose  from  the  '  New  York.'  Soon  the 
sailors  and  soldiers  were  wildly  cheering  the  joyful 
news.  With  the  breaking  up  of  the  battle  line 
ships  went  steaming  rapidly  away  down  the  coast, 
and  night,  when  it  shut  darkly  down  around  the 
6  Yale/  hid  only  two  or  three  ships  off  Siboney, 
and  the  castle  of  Morro  unguarded  and  unwatched 
with  the  white  flag  still  floating  in  the  air. 

16  BRAIXERD  TAYLOR." 

General  Miles  did  not  come  on  board  again  until 
the  surrender  was  announced,  when  we  ran  back 
to  Guantanamo,  where  we  anchored  in  the  harbor 
among  a  fleet  of  some  twenty  war-ships  and  trans- 


56       The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

ports,  forming  a  floating  city,  the  population  of 
which  was  increased  each  day  by  the  arrival  of 
some  new  vessel. 

From  the  14th  to  the  17th,  the  "  Yale  "  made  her 
daily  trips  up  the  coast,  returning  to  Siboney  every 
night.  On  the  17th  came  the  formal  surrender  of 
the  city,  and  the  same  day  the  "  Yale  "  started  for 
Guantanamo,  where  she  anchored.  The  "  Rita," 
a  prize  steamer,  with  the  6th  Illinois  on  board, 
also  arrived  at  Guantanamo  the  same  day,  and 
Colonel  Foster  paid  a  visit  to  the  officers  of  the 
6th  Massachusetts. 

The  hulls  of  our  battleships  lay  on  the  water 
like  great,  dark  birds,  swinging  lazily  with  the  tide, 
and  only  seeming  to  waken  at  night  when  the  elec 
tric  lights  would  shine  out  from  all  sides,  outlining 
their  hulls  in  the  darkness  and  reflecting  long  darts 
of  light  in  the  dark  water  beneath,  while  now  and 
then  a  search-light  would  fall  meteor-like  over  the 
scene,  wrapping  all  in  its  brilliancy  for  a  moment 
and  then  as  suddenly  disappearing.  No  theatre 
ever  produced  as  picturesque  a  stage  setting  as  the 
scene  which  lay  daily  before  us,  or  as  true  a  repre 
sentation  of  diplomatic  life  as  when  General  Miles 
would  pay  a  formal  visit  on  board  the  "  Oregon  " 
or  the  "  Massachusetts/'  and  the  massive  shell-proof 
decks  of  those  vessels  would  lend  themselves  to  an 
afternoon  reception  of  white-ducked  officers,  while 


The  "Yale"  57 

the  very  rise  and  fall  of  the  boat  on  the  swell 
seemed  to  be  in  unison  with  the  music  of  the  band, 
heard  faintly  over  the  water  from  the  forward 
deck. 

Such  was  the  variety  of  scene  and  action  for  the 
early  days  on  the  "  Yale."  But  after  the  excite 
ment  attendant  on  the  expected  landing  and  antici 
pated  battle  had  passed,  the  natural  reaction  came, 


Ox   BOARD   THE    "YALE." 

and  the  tension  of  nerves  relaxed,  and  men  were 
hungry  and  thirsty.  Quartered  on  deck,  exposed 
to  the  rain  and  wind  of  a  tropical  climate,  under  a 
burning  sun  by  day  and  in  dampness  by  night,  the 
men  were  at  the  mercy  of  a  treacherous  climate  at 
the  worst  season  of  the  year.  Part  of  the  deck 
was  covered  by  awnings  and  others  were  put 


58         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

up  at  the  end  of  a  week.  These  served  the 
double  purpose  of  protection  from  heat  and  rain 
and  to  catch  water,  which  was  considered  a  luxury 
for  drinking,  as  that  provided  on  the  boat  was  dis 
tilled,  and  drawn  from  a  faucet  at  either  end  of 
the  ship  at  a  temperature  that  was  sickening  hot. 
When  one  wanted  a  drink,  it  was  necessary  to 
line  up  and  drink  in  turn  from  a  chipped-edged 
enamel  cup  that  was  used  in  common  by  the  sick 
and  the  well.  The  writer  was  threatened  with 
arrest  by  the  marine  guard  for  pouring  water  into 
his  own  cup  to  drink.  No  canteens  were  allowed 
to  be  filled,  which  prevented  cooling  the  water  even 
to  the  temperature  of  the  air.  When  it  rained  at 
night  the  men  would  get  up  off  the  deck  and  roll 
their  belongings  in  their  ponchos  and  shiver  in 
groups  until  the  storm  would  pass  over,  and  then 
lie  down  again  on  the  wet  deck.  One  man  who 
slept  near  a  tap  for  the  hose,  and  from  which  the 
water  bubbled  up  alarmingly  near,  spoke  of  it  as 
his  "  spring  bed." 

Our  meals  consisted  of  coffee,  of  which  we  never 
had  enough  and  that  without  sugar,  hardtack, 
occasionally  fat  bacon  but  usually  raw  tomatoes, 
a  can  of  which  would  be  given  to  two  or  three 
men  for  their  dinner,  and  which  at  times  had 
passed  their  day  of  possible  usefulness  and  were 
thrown  overboard.  As  an  occasional  luxury, 


The  "Yale"  59 

half-cooked  "  sow  belly,"  which  would  have  been 
excellent  fare  for  an  Arctic  expedition,  was  served, 
but  this  usually  went  to  feed  the  fishes.  The  sail 
ors'  food  was  far  superior  to  that  of  the  regiment. 
Their  sympathy  was  aroused  for  the  men  to  the 
extent  that  they  gladly  shared  their  meals  when 
ever  possible,  although  they  paid  the  penalty  by 
arrest  if  they  were  found  giving  or  selling  food  to 
the  soldiers.  The  only  meal  which  the  writer  had 
on  board  which  could  be  called  by  that  name  was 
a  boiled  dinner  bought  from  a  stoker,  and  which 
made  a  feast  for  three.  Men  who  live  on  Beacon 
Street  grabbed  food  from  the  refuse  of  the  officers' 
table  which  was  being  thrown  overboard,  while 
Harvard  men  chased  small  potatoes  down  the 
scuppers  with  an  eagerness  which  could  be  ex 
plained  only  by  the  pangs  of  hunger.  Yet  the 
officers  had  their  hardships,  for  a  naval  cadet  on 
board  told  me  one  day  as  a  real  grievance  that  he 
got  but  one  biscuit  with  his  cheese  and  after  dinner 
coffee. 

Those  who  have  stood  on  deck  a  steamer  looking 
down  at  the  steerage  passengers  eating  their  boiled 
dinner,  or  broth  from  a  bucket,  with  their  mugs 
of  beer  beside  them,  and  pitied  them,  pitied  a  con 
dition  that  would  have  been  absolute  luxury  to  the 
men  on  the  "  Yale." 

The    cooking   for   thirteen    companies,   thirteen 


60         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

hundred  men,  was  done  in  the  steerage  galley,  in 
a  space  of  not  over  eight  by  sixteen  feet,  the  only 
exception  being  when  as  a  special  favor  the  use  of 
the  second  cabin  galley  was  secured  during  the 
night  for  cooking  beans. 

The  letter  of  E.  B.  Lamson,  under  date  of  Au 
gust  5,  said,  "  The  hardtack  was  mouldy  in  hun 
dreds  of  cases,  and  was  thrown  away  by  soldiers 
who  knew  they  would  get  no  more  to  eat  for  the 
day.  The  pork  was  chiefly  fat,  which  was  not 
suited  for  food  in  that  climate.  No  fault  was 
found  with  the  coffee  but  its  scantiness.  Many  of 
the  privates  went  a  clay  at  a  time  with  nothing  in 
their  stomachs  but  coffee.  Now  and  then  they  re 
ceived  tomatoes  or  bean  soup.  It  seemed  at  times 
as  if  the  rations  were  dealt  out  most  sparingly  or 
else  there  was  a  most  uneven  distribution." 

One  of  our  men  whom  the  gnawing  of  hunger 
drove  to  the  extremity  of  going  to  the  galley  of 
the  first  cabin  and  begging  for  something  to 
eat  was  asked,  "Are  you  a  waiter?"  Upon  re 
plying  in  the  negative  he  was  invited  to  go  to 
a  place  warmer  than  the  galley,  and  received  no 
food. 

The  position  of  "  waiter  "  was  in  great  demand, 
as  those  who  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  secure 
such  a  place  received  plenty  to  eat,  and  when  possi 
ble  helped  out  their  friends.  The  men  who  had 


The  "Yale"  61 

money  paid  any  price  fur  anything  they  could  buy 
to  eat. 

Frank  Pope  writes  under  the  date  of  July  12  : 

"  The  food  for  the  men  has  heen  poor ;  not  only 
poor,  hut  for  the  last  few  days  rather  scarce.  They 
have  done  considerable  kicking  about  it,  but  it  is 
partly  their  own  fault.  I  saw  several  dozen  pieces  of 
hardtack  and  a  lot  of  canned  beef  thrown  overboard 
yesterday  to  coax  the  sharks  nearer  the  ship. 

'*  Last  night  we  had  a  terrific  rain  storm.  The  rain 
fell  in  sheets  all  night,  and  everybody  on  deck  was  wet 
through.  The  men  were  lying  in  three  or  four  inches 
of  water,  and  the  baggage  was  floating  off  into  the 
scuppers.  There  was  no  shelter  for  them,  so  they  had 
to  grin  and  bear  it.  They  huddled  together  under  the 
lee  of  the  deck-house  until  daylight,  when  there  was  a 
lull  in  the  storm,  but  it  soon  started  again  harder  than 
ever. 

kl  Ponchos  were  no  good.  They  were  soaked  through 
in  five  minutes,  and  all  woollen  blankets  and  clothing 
were  as  bad.  The  sun  came  out  about  noon,  however, 
and  dried  things  off,  making  everybody  feel  more 
cheerful.  The  clothes  and  blankets  were  spread  out  all 
over  the  ship  until  she  looked  like  a  great  floating 
laundry." 

The  storm  here  described  was  perhaps  the  worst, 
and  as  it  increased  in  violence  men  retreated  to 
the  only  possible  shelter,  going  to  the  passage  way 
leading  to  and  in  the  toilet  rooms,  where  later 
rows  of  men  sat  asleep  exhausted  beyond  wakeful- 
ness. 


62         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

The  advantage  in  waiting  until  this  time  to  tell 
the  story  of  the  campaign,  is  that  statements 
concerning  food  given  the  regiments  are  given  out 
from  headquarters  and  do  not  need  verifying. 

CLEVELAND,  December  30. 

General  George  A.  Garretson,  of  this  city,  who 
commanded  a  division  in  Porto  Rico,  agreed  to-day 
with  General  Miles  that  the  canned  heef  furnished  the 
army  was,  to  a  large  extent,  unfit  for  use.  He  said  that 
a  large  amount  of  the  meat  had  to  be  thrown  away. 

"The  condition  of  affairs,"  said  General  Garretson, 
"  was  every  hit  as  had  as  is  reported.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  this  bad  meat  was  the  cause  of  a  large  part 
of  the  sickness  among  the  men." 

This  was  some  of  the  "  canned  beef  "  that  was 
reported  as  being  wasted  by  using  it  as  feed  to 
tempt  sharks.  If  the  stomach  of  that  fish  is  any 
thing  like  a  man's,  we  know  what  happened  to  the 
shark. 

';Xear  Cuba  there  lived  a  young  shark. 

Who  fed  always  about  some  new  barque. 

He  ate  meat  from  the  c  Yale, ' 

Then  turned  up  his  tail  — 

The  end  of  the  tale  of  the  shark." 

The  sanitary  arrangements  were  those  accorded 
the  steerage  passengers,  and  were  entirely  inade 
quate  to  the  demands  of  the  number  of  men  on 
board.  The  only  relief  to  their  discomfort  was 
the  bath  each  day  when  the  hose  was  played  on 


The  "Yale" 

the  forward  deck,  or  the  evening  plunge  into  the 
sea,  which  was  allowed  for  a  period  of  time  while 
lying  in  the  harbor.  For  exercise  we  had  setting 
up  drill,  target  practice,  and  running  around  the 
deck,  to  keep  which  from  being  scratched,  the  men 
were  ordered  to  take  off  their  shoes  and  run  bare- 


A  SHOWER  BATH. 

foot  over  a  surface  that  was  heated  to  a  tempera 
ture  that  was  painful  to  the  touch.  It  gave  the 
men  good  knee  action,  however,  and  they  entered 
into  the  sport  of  the  game.  This  running  was 
finally  stopped  by  General  Miles,  as  the  confusion 
disturbed  the  work  of  his  staff  in  his  saloon. 

Days  dragged  on  into  weeks,  and  the  half- 
starved  men,  crowded  on  a  transport  in  mid 
summer  in  the  tropics,  began  to  break  down  with 


64        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

a  rapidity  which  alarmed  even  the  surgeons. 
The  expedition  had  been  sent  as  a  hurried  relief 
to  General  Shafter,  and  as  it  was  expected  it 
would  be  on  board  the  "  Yale "  but  four  or  five 
days,  provision  had  been  made  for  that  time  only. 
Tons  of  stores  deep  down  in  the  inaccessible 
regions  of  the  hold,  and  nine  cars  full  of  supplies 
left  on  the  tracks  at  Charleston,  answered  admir 
ably  to  Mr.  Hooley's  version  of  Secretary  Alger's 
letter  to  "Chauncy  Depoo,"  where  he  says,  "In  two 
months  I  had  enough  supplies  piled  up  in  Maine  to 
feed  ivry  sojer  in  Cubea,  and  all  the  rig'mints  had 
to  do  was  to  write  f'r  thim." 

The  second  cabin  saloon  which  was  utilized  as 
the  sick  bay  was  filled  to  overflowing.  Those 
who  looked  in  through  the  ports  and  saw  the 
crowd  of  naked  men  panting  for  air  they  could  not 
get  and  calling  for  nurses  when  there  were  none 
to  hear,  will  not  soon  forget  the  sight.  Later  a 
ventilator  was  put  into  the  hospital,  which  greatly 
relieved  the  men. 

Such  was  the  life  led  by  the  6th  regiment  for 
eighteen  days  on  board  the  "  Yale/'  and  three  days 
on  board  the  train,  making  a  total  of  twenty-one 
days  during  which  time  the  men  had  been  without 
sufficient  exercise,  proper  food,  or  drink.  The 
necessary  consequence  of  this  showed  itself  not 
only  on  shipboard  but  later  when  the  men  were 


The  "Yale"  65 

called  upon  to  make  exertions  which,  had  they 
been  in  the  condition  they  were  at  the  time  of 
leaving  Camp  Alger,  would  have  been  made  with 
little  difficulty. 

The  brigadier  general  and  the  entire  regimental 
staff  were  in  a  position  to  know  the  life  the  men 
were  leading,  yet  there  was  no  improvement  or 
change  made.  Individually  certain  officers  did  all 
in  their  power  to  improve  matters,  their  complaints, 
however,  receiving  no  response. 

That  the  officers  of  the  regiments  were  not 
pampered  by  too  luxurious  living  at  "  first  cabin  " 
table  is  also  certain.  While  privileges  were  theirs, 
life  was  made  no  more  attractive  to  them  than 
"  tactics"  allow,  as  being  a  transport  in  the  wake 
of  the  "  Massachusetts  "  and  the  "  Oregon  "  instead 
of  overhauling  rich  Spanish  vessels,  was  no  doubt 
aggravating  to  the  "  Yale."  There  were  rumors 
that  the  supply  of  coal  and  tomatoes  was  low  and 
in  danger  of  being  exhausted.  The  rumor  proved 
false. 

During  these  clays  General  Miles  and  his  staff, 
together  with  Captain  Paget  of  the  English  navy, 
made  their  headquarters  on  board  the  "Yale,"  — 
the  general  often  appearing  on  deck  in  his  shirt 
sleeves  for  a  breathing  spell,  talking  freely  and 
familiarly  with  any  of  the  men  who  happened  to 
be  near,  furnishing  a  pleasant  contrast  to  some  of 


66         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

the  lesser  lights.  Whenever  returning  from  shore 
the  general  used  the  greatest  care,  and  took  every 
precaution  of  disinfecting  before  going  on  board. 
Others  were  not  as  thoughtful.  Col.  J.  J.  "Astor 
and  Captain  Lee  succeeded  in  boarding  the  "  Yale  " 
one  evening  through  the  gang  being  lowered  for 
General  Miles.  The  general  had  gone  to  the  other 
side  of  the  ship,  however,  and  in  the  interim  these 
officers  came  on  board  and  dined  with  the  army 
officers  before  knowledge  of  their  presence  reached 
Captain  Wise  of  the  "Yale."  Duty  called  them 
ashore  immediately  after  the  captain  learned  of 
their  presence,  as  he  did  not  care  to  have  yellow 
fever  brought  aboard  by  even  an  officer. 

The  mail  from  the  North  arrived  at  Guantanamo 
on  the  20th,  and  a  detail  was  sent  from  the 
uYale"  to  sort  it. 

Occasionally  one  was  made  to  forget  the  monot 
onous  life  we  were  leading  by  our  unusual  envi 
ronment. 

I  had  been  doing  guard  duty  on  the  u  Yale  "  during 
the  night,  and  from  two  to  four  A.  M.  had  looked 
out  over  the  harbor  filled  with  the  great  boats, 
which  were  dimly  outlined  in  the  starlight,  with 
only  here  and  there  a  single  light  shining  out  in  the 
dark  like  a  wakeful  eye  over  the  sleeping  forms 
covering  the  decks.  Entire  silence  reigned,  with 
the  exception  of  the  bells  striking  the  hour,  when 


The  "Yale"  67 

from  one  ship,  then  another,  in  different  tones 
and  keys  would  come  across  the  water  the  sound 
of  the  ship's  bells,  like  voices  of  night,  bearing 
the  message,  "  All  is  well."  Eight  bells  struck, 
and  the  arrival  of  the  new  guard  relieved  us.  We 
were  just  turning  for  our  blankets,  to  throw  our 
selves  on  the  deck  for  an  hour's  sleep,  when,  like 
a  ship  rising  out  of  the  fog,  the  forms  of  the 
fleet  about  us  became  dimly  visible  in  the  first 
gray  of  dawn.  They  were  so  unreal  as  to  be 
truly  like  phantom  ships.  Gradually  the  light 
increased,  not  by  brightening  rays  from  a  rosy 
dawn,  but  sombre  and  dark  in  color  like  a  Novem 
ber  day.  Great  gray  clouds  filled  the  horizon, 
forming  a  background  so  nearly  the  color  of  the 
drab  hulled  ships  that  they  became  part  of  one 
another.  The  light  increased,  and  the  water  re 
flected  the  tint  of  the  sky.  It  was  a  monochrome 
picture  such  as  would  fill  the  heart  of  an  artist 
with  delight.  But  a  sadness  pervaded  the  scene 
as  though  Nature  had  gone  into  second  mourning. 

Long  after  the  heat  of  day  had  dissipated 
those  soft  colors  and  brought  into  bold  relief 
every  outline  of  our  floating  city  and  its  restless 
population,  did  the  remembrance  of  that  picture 
fill  my  mind,  and  make  me  forget  for  the  time 
the  horrors  of  the  "Yale." 

At   an   early   date   in   the  war  the  conquest  of 


68        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

I 

the  island  of  Porto  Rico  had  become  a  settled 
purpose  of  the  administration.  The  invasion  had 
been  deferred  from  time  to  time  for  reasons  con 
nected  with  the  Santiago  campaign,  and  wishing 
to  use  the  experienced  regiments  engaged  in  Cuba. 
Yet  the  occupation  of  this  island,  owing  to  its 
intrinsic  value  as  well  as  its  strategic  use,  was 
held  to  be  indispensable  before  the  conclusion  of 
the  war.  It  was  planned  to  send  an  army  to  Porto 
Rico  large  enough  to  effect  a  rapid  conquest,  and  it 
took  time  to  get  the  proper  forces  together.  Major 
General  Miles,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  expedi 
tion,  was  ready  to  sail  with  our  troops  from  Cuba 
on  July  the  18th,  but  the  delay  which  occurred 
owing  to  tardiness  of  Admiral  Sampson  in  furnish 
ing  a  requisite  naval  escort,  kept  us  on  the  "  Yale  " 
until  the  25th  of  July.  To  complete  the  expedition, 
large  bodies  of  troops  were  to  be  sent  from  Charles 
ton,  Tampa,  and  Newport  News  under  command 
of  Major  General  Brooke.  When  we  sailed  on  the 
21st  the  expedition  from  Charleston,  numbering 
about  three  thousand  men,  was  already  under  way, 
and  fear  was  entertained  of  its  reaching  the  place 
of  rendezvous  ahead  of  the  naval  guard. 

General  Brooke  with  over  five  thousand  men  left 
Newport  News  a  week  later.  These  were  to  be 
followed  by  other  forces  until  the  expedition  should 
number  about  thirty-five  thousand  men.  Quanti- 


The"  Yale '!  69 

ties  of  supplies  were  sent  with  the  troops,  who 
were  accompanied  by  a  large  number  of  engineers 
equipped  with  all  necessary  engineering  machinery 
for  road  and  bridge  building. 

The  reasons  for  keeping  the  regiment  on  board 
the  "  Yale  "  so  long  are  thus  explained.  After  the 
surrender  of  Santiago  there  was  every  reason  why 
no  landing  should  be  made  in  Cuba,  and  the  un 
expected  delay  in  the  completion  of  the  Porto 
Rican  expedition  extended  day  by  day  the  time 
into  weeks  before  the  plans  were  completed  and 
the  word  given  to  proceed. 

It  was  with  cheers  of  delight  that  the  regiment 
hailed  the  positive  announcement  that  we  were  to 
move  against  Porto  Rico,  as  on  the  2 1st  clay  of 
July  the  fleet,  consisting  of  sixteen  vessels,  moved 
slowly  out  of  the  harbor  at  Guantanamo  with  the 
"  Massachusetts "  as  flagship,  followed  by  the 
"Yale,"  the  "Dixie,"  "Columbia,"  and  "Glouces 
ter,"  and  the  transports  "  Lampasus,"  "Comanche," 
"  Rita,"  "  Unionist,"  "  Stillwater,"  "  City  of  Macon," 
"Nueces,"  and  "Specialist,"  carrying  about  thirty- 
five  hundred  men.  A  low  rate  of  speed  was 
necessary  owing  to  the  transports  being  unable  to 
keep  up  with  the  cruisers.  The  expedition  was 
in  charge  of  Captain  Higginson,  and  during  the 
days  of  the  voyage  every  sail  sighted  was  over 
hauled  so  there  was  no  possibility  of  our  approach 


jo         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

being  heralded.  On  the  morning  of  the  23d,  Corp. 
Charles  F.  Parker  died,  and  was  buried  at  sea  the 
same  day.  Chaplain  Dusseault  read  the  burial 
service,  and  a  squad  of  twelve  men  fired  the 
customary  three  volleys. 

Lieutenant  Higginson  of  General  Miles's   staff 
had  previously  made  a  journey  incognito  at  great 


THE  HARBOR  OF  GUANICA. 

risk  through  Porto  Rico,  and  familiarized  himself 
with  the  island  and  its  harbors,  including  the 
little  harbor  of  Guanica.  General  Miles,  taking 
advantage  of  this  knowledge,  decided  to  land  his 
forces  there  instead  of  on  the  north  side  of  the 


The  "Yale"  7r 

island,  as  was  anticipated.  He,  therefore,  sent 
the  "  Dixie  "  to  warn  General  Brooke  at  Cape  San 
Juan,  and  changed  the  course  of  the  fleet  south 
ward  through  the  Mona  passage.  All  through  the 
night  previous  to  our  landing,  as  the  fleet  steamed 
slowly  down  the  west  end  of  the  island,  but  a 
single  light  showed  from  the  entire  fleet,  and  that 
from  the  stern  of  the  flagship. 

Just  before  reaching  Guanica,  General  Miles 
called  the  officers  of  the  6th  into  the  main  saloon 
and  told  them  :  "  There  was  great  work  cut  out  for 
them  ;  that  the  most  honorable  position  was  theirs, 
but  also  the  post  of  greatest  danger.  The  regiment 
was  to  force  a  landing  and  hold  it  against  every 
assault  until  reinforcements  arrived,  and  he  hoped 
they  would  go  forward  against  everything  without 
flinching." 

When  the  citizens  of  Guanica  wakened  on  the 
morning  of  July  25th,  it  was  to  find  their  town,  if 
not  its  citizens  famous,  with  our  fleet  at  their 
doors.  They  had  a  garrison  of  but  fifty  men,  and 
no  communications  by  rail  or  wire  with  any  centre 
where  it  was  possible  to  secure  aid  in  time  to  pre 
vent  troops  landing.  The  "Gloucester,"  in  com 
mand  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wainwright,  regardless 
of  possible  mines,  ran  boldly  into  the  harbor,  where 
after  reconnoitring,  she  lowered  a  launch  in  which 
were  taken  thirty  men  and  a  Colt  rapid-fire  gun 


7  2         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Huse,  who  landed 
without  opposition.  Not  until  the  Spanish  flag, 
which  floated  from  a  staff  at  the  little  wharf,  was 
hauled  down  and  the  stars  and  stripes  were  run  up 
in  its  place,  did  he  draw  the  fire  of  the  Spaniards, 
from  their  hiding-places  behind  houses.  The  fire 
was  returned,  and  then,  as  a  number  of  Spanish 
cavalry  were  seen  to  be  hastening  to  the  relief  of 
their  comrades,  began  "  that  hideous  bombardment 
of  the  'Gloucester's'  three  pounders,"  dropping 
shells  in  such  a  position  that  the  Spanish  cavalry 
decided  discretion  to  be  the  better  part  of  valor,  and 
retreated.  The  troops  were  landed  by  aid  of  the 
small  boats  and  the  "City  of  Macon,"  on  board 
which  the  6th  Massachusetts  was  taken  ashore  with 
General  Miles,  when  it  was  learned  that  four  of  the 
Spaniards  had  been  killed  in  the  affray,  and  the 
others,  wishing  "to  fight  another  day,"  had  followed 
the  injunctions  of  the  other  line,  with  a  promptness 
that  was  exhilarating.  Not  a  person  was  to  be 
seen.  Houses  were  closed,  the  inhabitants  having 
taken  refuge  on  the  hillsides.  The  regiment  was 
camped  near  the  village,  and  all  possible  speed  was 
used  in  getting  horses  and  artillery  ashore. 

The  captain  of  the  "  Macon "  was  most  hospi 
table,  doing  double  service.  When  he  was  on 
deck  with  General  Miles  a  certain  amount  of  hospi 
tality  was  —  you  could  hardly  say  dispensed  — 


The  "Yale"  73 

"  acquired  "  is  perhaps  the  better  word,  from  his 
stateroom  by  thirsty  privates.  They  appreciated 
it  just  as  much  as  though  it  had  been  at  the  invi 
tation  of  the  captain. 

Washington,  July  27,  the  War  Department  last 
night  received  the  following : 

ST.  THOMAS,  July  25,  9.35  P.M. 

SECRETARY  OF  WAK,  WASHINGTON: 

Circumstances  were  such  that  I  deemed  it  advisable 
to  take  the  harbor  of  Guanica  first,  fifteen  miles  west  of 
Ponce,  which  was  successfully  accomplished  between 
daylight  and  eleven  o'clock.  Spaniards  surprised.  The 
44  Gloucester,"  Commander  Wainwright,  first  entered  the 
harbor,  and  met  with  slight  resistance  ;  fired  a  few  shots. 
All  the  transports  are  now  in  the  harbor,  and  infantry 
and  artillery  rapidly  going  ashore.  This  is  a  well- 
protected  harbor.  Water  sufficiently  deep  for  all  trans 
ports  and  heavy  vessels  to  anchor  within  two  hundred 
yards  of  shore.  The  Spanish  flag  was  lowered  and  the 
American  flag  raised  at  eleven  o'clock  to-day.  Captain 
Higginson,  with  his  fleet,  has  rendered  able  and  earnest 
assistance.  Troops  in  good  health  and  best  of  spirits. 
No  casualties. 

MILES, 

Major  General  Commanding  Army. 


74        'i'he  Sixth  Massachusetts 


CHAPTER  V 

GUANICA 

"  When  first  under  fire  an'  you  ;re  wishful  to  duck, 
Don't  look  nor  take  'eed  at  the  man  that  is  struck, 
Be  thankful  you  're  living  and  trust  to  your  luck, 
And  march  to  your  front  like  a  soldier." 

7ULY  25.  It  was  not  far  from  9  P.  M.,  well 
after  darkness,  that  a  staff  officer  of  General 
Garret-son  rode  in  from  the  Yatico  road  and 
reported  that  the  company  of  the  6th  Illinois  on 
outpost  duty  had  been  fired  upon  and  reinforce 
ments  were  needed.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Chaffin, 
being  in  command  of  the  regiment  in  the  absence 
of  Colonel  Woodward,  ordered  Major  Darling  to 
select  two  companies  and  go  to  reinforce  the 
Illinois  company.  Taking  companies  L  of  Boston 
and  M  of  Milford,  he  hurried  along  the  road 
bordered  with  tropical  trees  and  plants,  to  where, 
through  a  gateway,  a  path  led  to  the  hill  on  the 
right  on  which  the  Illinois  company  was  posted. 
Under  the  guidance  of  a  native  guide  the  surround 
ing  country  was  reconnoitred  and  outposts  were 
placed  in  all  available  points  supposed  to  be  facing 
the  enemy.  During  the  night  as  the  desultory 


Guanica  75 

shooting  continued  and  an  attack  was  supposed  to 
be  intended  by  the  Spaniards  at  daybreak,  it  was 
deemed  advisable  to  have  reinforcements  from  the 
camp.  Word  was  sent  back  to  this  effect.  About 
one  o'clock  five  companies,  A,  C,  K,  G,  and  E, 
formed  quickly  and  quietly  and  marched  out  to 
the  vicinity  of  the  other  companies,  to  where  there 
was  a  banana  grove  on  the  left  at  the  fork  of  the 
road.  Beyond  this  on  the  left  was  a  hill  about 
three  hundred  feet  high,  covered  with  chaparral, 
which  was  recorded  as  being  free  from  the  enemy. 
The  hill  terminated  at  a  distance  of  about  four  hun 
dred  yards,  opening  out  into  a  large  valley  to  the 
north.  The  companies  were  halted  in  the  rear  of 
this  division  and  consultation  was  held  with 
General  Gar  ret  son  and  staff  while  waiting  for 
daylight. 

July  26.  At  a  little  before  5  A.  M.  the  com 
panies  were  advanced  to  the  outposts  at  this 
hollow  in  the  road,  where  A  and  G  were  ordered  to 
lay  their  rolls  in  a  pile  to  be  left  in  the  charge  of 
a  sentinel.  Company  L  was  withdrawn  from  out 
post  duty,  and  following  in  the  rear  of  Company 
A,  which  formed  the  advance  guard,  was  followed 
by  Company  G.  Only  two  companies,  A  and  G, 
were  ordered  to  move  up  at  this  time.  Company  A 
immediately  took  up  the  advance  guard  formation 
and  started  forward.  They  had  proceeded  but  a 


The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

few  hundred  yards  when  they  and  the  column 
were  fired  upon  from  the  side  of  the  hill  on 
the  left  at  a  distance  of  not  over  two  hundred 
yards.  The  first  volley  caused  a  little  confusion 
in  the  ranks,  but  the  men  quickly  recovered  from 
any  demoralization.  Captain  Gihon  of  Company 
A  was  shot  in  the  thigh,  Corp.  W.  S.  Carpenter 
of  Company  L  and  B.  Bostic,  Private,  in  the  arm 
and  finger.  Private  J.  Drummond  of  Company  K 
was  struck  twice,  the  first  ball  passing  completely 
through  the  neck  near  the  spinal  cord ;  but  Private 
Drummond  refused  to  fall  back  and  proceeded 
with  the  firing  line,  when  he  received  the  second 
wound,  which  drew  blood  but  proved  to  be  only  a 
flesh  wound.  Company  C  followed  Company  L. 
Companies  K  and  E  being  in  under  fire  broke  at 
first  but  quickly  rallied  and  pushed  to  the  left  and 
up  the  hill  to  the  front. 

The  companies  in  the  road,  A,  L,  and  C,  jumped 
into  the  ditches  on  either  side  of  the  road  at  the 
first  discharge.  As  was  afterwards  learned,  the  posi 
tion  held  by  the  Spaniards  at  a  distance  of  not  over 
two  hundred  yards  away,  commanded  the  ditches 
on  both  sides  of  the  road.  That  no  more  men  were 
wounded  can  only  be  explained  by  the  Spaniards 
having  fired  five  rounds  from  their  hips  and  then 
running.  The  over  shooting  was  shown  by  the 
fact  that  the  majority  of  the  wounds  were  received 


Guanica  77 

by  the  men  who  were  in  the  rear.  On  the  right 
of  the  road  was  a  barbed  wire  fence  and  a  banana 
grove,  which  in  the  early  morning  was  very  black, 
but  through  which  the  flankers  of  the  advance 
guard  and  companies  pushed.  The  flankers  on  the 
left  side  of  the  hill  had  not  reached  more  than  one 
third  of  the  way  up  the  hill  and  were  within  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  enemy  when  the 
Spanish  ambuscade  opened  fire.  That  portion  of 
the  enemy,  after  firing  from  the  hill-top,  retreated 
over  the  other  side  of  the  hill  to  the  left  and  north 
and  did  not  again  come  into  sight. 

The  shots  fired  by  the  6th  Illinois,  who  were 
stationed  at  a  house  on  the  hillside  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  to  the  right  and  rear,  came  so  uncomfortably 
near  to  the  6th  Massachusetts  men  that  they 
were  called  upon  to  cease  firing.  The  firing  did  not 
last  over  three  quarters  of  an  hour.  Company  A, 
when  getting  up  on  the  hillside  to  the  left  of 
the  road,  could  see  the  Spaniards  lying  down  in 
a  cornfield  to  the  front  and  right,  and  fired  upon 
them,  to  the  surprise  of  those  in  front  of  them 
down  in  the  road,  from  whom  the  Spaniards  were 
concealed.  The  Spaniards  retreated  down  the  road, 
pausing  in  a  sugar  mill  under  cover  of  a  French 
flag,  half  a  mile  away.  Another  body  of  Spaniards 
could  be  seen  on  the  hillside  across  the  valley  re 
treating  to  the  north.  The  line  advanced  down 


78         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

the  road  until  they  emerged  to  the  east  of  the  hill 
top  where  the  ambuscade  took  place,  and  halted 
along  the  base  of  the  hill  which  stretches  to  the 
north  in  line  of  skirmishers.  After  pausing  there 
a  moment  to  get  breath,  they  moved  out  across 
the  ploughed  ground  toward  the  sugar  mill 
through  a  field  green  with  the  growth  of  young 
sugar-cane  plants.  By  this  time  Captain  McNeely 
with  eighteen  of  his  company  came^over  the  hill 
and  took  up  a  position  on  the  left,  as  skirmishers  on 
the  line  to  the  left  of  K  (E,  K,  G,  and  part  of  C 
to  the  left  of  the  road).  After  resting  for  a  while 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  the  line  moved  out  to  the 
sugar  mill  simultaneously,  from  which  they  found 
the  enemy  had  retreated  without  being  fired  upon. 
On  the  left  side  of  the  road  the  line  moved  to  the 
front  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  where  the  valley 
opened  into  the  next  one.  Those  in  the  valley 
waited  until  three  companies  on  the  left  hand 
mounted  the  next  spur  separating  the  valley. 
When  they  reached  the  top  of  the  hill,  the  enemy 
was  seen  drawn  up  in  columns  of  four  on  the  side 
of  a  spur  across  the  valley  running  parallel  to  the 
first  one.  The  enemy  were  in  three  or  four 
columns,  and  could  also  be  seen  from  the  valley. 
The  company  on  the  hill-top  commenced  to  fire  on 
the  enemy  when  orders  came  from  General 
Garretson  down  the  road  to  retire. 


Guanica  79 

After  the  first  fire  at  the  enemy,  Lieutenant  Lang- 
horn  called  for  volunteers  to  clear  the  hill,  when 
Second  Lieut.  F.  E.  Gray  of  Company  A  stepped  for 
ward  and  with  the  first  three  fours  of  his  company 
advanced  up  the  hill  and  accomplished  what  was 
desired. 

An  extract  from  a  letter  from  a  man  who  was 
under  fire  for  the  first  time  says :  — 

"  At  the  first  volley  I  was  simply  surprised.  I 
instinctively  dropped  on  my  stomach  beside  the  road, 
keeping  my  head  up  to  get  a  chance  to  shoot.  During 
that  terrible  storm  I  felt  as  if  I  had  been  in  the  same 
position  many  times  before.  I  did  not  have  the  slight 
est  tremor.  About  six  I  was  lying  beside  Captain 
Gihon  talking  about  the  battle,  with  bullets  flying 
thick  and  fast  on  three  sides,  when  he  groaned  and 
dropped  his  head.  Then  my  heart  jumped  and  I 
said,  4Are  you  hit,  captain?'  He  said  4  Yes.'  I  asked 
him  where.  He  laughed  and  said,  '  In  the  seat  of  my 
pants.'  We  found  that  a  Mauser  bullet  had  passed 
through  his  left  hip.  It  must  have  passed  over  my 
head,  and  frightfully  near.  The  captain  stayed  through 
the  battle  in  command." 

To  those  left  in  camp  the  night  had  been  one  of 
suspense  and  excitement.  During  the  entire  night 
desultory  shots  had  been  heard  from  all  sides,  but 
principally  from  the  direction  the  troops  had  gone. 
About  day-break  the  sound  of  continuous  heavy  fir 
ing  told  of  conflict  begun  in  earnest.  Rumors  of 


8o        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

terrible  disaster  soon  filled  the  camp,  and  the  word 
was  given  out  by  a  high  regiment  official  that  one 
company  was  entirely  wiped  out  and  another  had 
suffered  great  loss.  Captain  Barrett  appeared 
wounded  by  a  bad  cut  from  the  barbed  wire  fence. 
The  blood  covering  his  face  and  filling  his  eyes, 
necessitated  his  coming  to  camp  to  have  his  head 
dressed,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  command. 
Shortly  after  this  Captain  Gihon  was  brought  in 
to  the  hospital,  and  the  appearance  in  the  road 
immediately  after  of  a  large  number  of  natives 
following  stretchers  confirmed  the  impression  that 
our  surgeons  would  be  kept  busy.  Every  effort  was 
being  made  to  care  for  a  large  number  of  wounded, 
when  the  good  news  arrived  that  only  three  were 
wounded  of  all  our  men,  causing  great  rejoicing 
throughout  the  camp. 

The  men  who  went  for  outpost  duty  that  first 
night,  it  must  be  remembered,  did  so  in  an  enemy's 
imknown  country  with  no  knowledge  of  the  "  lay 
of  the  land,"  taking  their  position  after  darkness 
had  fallen  and  with  no  idea  of  the  number  of  the 
enemy  that  might  be  collected  on  their  front. 
That  men  who  had  never  before  been  under 
fire,  should  have  held  their  ground  during  the 
night  as  they  did,  is  deserving  of  all  praise. 

Major  Darling  after  consultation  with  Lieuten 
ant  Langhorn  located  the  companies  and  remained 


Guanica  8 1 

in  charge  of  the  post  until  the  arrival  of  the  rein 
forcements,  when  General  Garretson  took  charge. 

Adjutant  Ames,  who  was  conspicuous  throughout 
the  fight,  appeared  to  the  men  in  a  new  light.  The 
quiet  manner  of  camp  became  under  fire  one  of 
fearlessness  and  bravery  that  called  forth  the 
highest  admiration  from  the  men. 

It  was  expected  during  the  entire  day  that  the 
Spaniards  would  make  another  attack  the  follow 
ing  night,  and  preparations  were  made  to  give 
them  a  warm  reception.  There  was  no  opportu 
nity  of  getting  food  to  the  men,  and  they  worked 
all  day  with  nothing  but  hardtack  and  water  to 
sustain  them,  throwing  up  trenches  and  whatever 
form  of  defence  was  possible.  Toward  night  word 
came  of  the  scarcity  of  food  in  the  companies, 
when  eleven  men  of  Company  A,  who  had  been 
on  guard  duty  the  night  before,  volunteered  to 
take  coffee  up  to  their  company.  •  Buckets  full 
were  soon  prepared,  and  the  squad  started  out 
in  command  of  Corporal  Richardson.  Before  the 
outskirts  of  the  village  were  passed,  night  had 
fallen.  The  men  proceeded,  however,  over  a  road 
bordered  on  either  side  with  fields  of  sugar-cane 
or  dense  hedges,  taking  turns  in  carrying  the  coffee, 
and  not  knowing  what  minute  they  might  draw 
the  fire  of  the  Spaniards.  About  a  mile  out  they 
were  halted  by  a  detail  of  Red  Cross  men,  who 

6 


82         The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

directed  them  to  the  locality  of  the  company  as 
nearly  as  they  knew.  Another  mile  passed,  when 
they  were  halted  by  the  outpost  of  the  6th  and 
were  told  that  Company  A  was  one  half-mile  beyond 
upon  the  hill.  They  started  on,  but  a  moment  after 
were  recalled  by  a  messenger  sent  by  Major  Taylor, 
who  was  in  charge  of  the  force  in  the  trenches  which 
they  had  passed.  He  feared  their  being  ambus 
caded,  and  detained  them  in  the  trenches  with  his 
command.  Twro  or  three  hours  later  word  wras 
received  that  the  road  was  clear  to  the  company, 
and  part  of  the  detail  went  on  with  the  coffee, 
reaching  the  company  without  accident,  where  it 
is  needless  to  say  they  were  warmly  welcomed. 

The  night  in  the  trenches  was  spent  in  needless 
alarm.  About  midnight  a  horse  was  heard  clat 
tering  down  the  hard  road,  when  Lieutenant 
Langhorn,  who  had  won  the  admiration  of  the 
men  the  night  before  by  his  bravery,  appeared. 
He  was  greeted  with  the  remark,  "  Are  n't  you 
afraid  you  '11  be  shot,  lieutenant  ? "  and  replied, 
"  That  is  what  we  are  paid  for."  Later  Major 
Taylor  was  relieved  owing  to  illness  and  Captain 
Greig  was  left  as  acting  major.  Morning  broke, 
and  the  surgeons  and  their  assistants  were  free 
to  return  to  camp  as  there  had  been  no  casualties 
at  the  front. 


MAJOR  EDWARD  J.  GIHON. 


Guanica  85 

PORT  PONCE,  PORTO  Rico,  July  28,  1898. 

SECRETARY  WAR,  WASHINGTON  : 

In  the  affair  of  the  26th,  Capt.  Edward  J.  Gihon  of 
Co.  A  was  wounded  in  the  left  hip,  Corp.  II.  J.  Pry  or  of 
Co.  L  slightly  wounded  in  hand;  Private  James  Drum- 
mond,  Co.  K,  two  wounds  in  neck,  Private  B.  F.  Bos- 
tic,  Co.  L,  slightly  wounded  right  arm.  All  of  6th 
Massachusetts  all  doin^  well. 

o 

The  Spanish  retreat  from  this  place  was  precipitate, 
they  leaving  rifles  and  ammunition  in  barracks  and  forty 
or  fifty  sick  in  hospitals.  The  people  are  enjoying  a 
holiday  in  our  arrival.  MILES. 

General. Gar retson  telegraphed  :  — 

"  The  following  officers  of  the  command  are  respect 
fully  commended  for  gallantry  and  coolness  under  fire  : 
Maj.  C.  K.  Darling,  Capt.  E.  J.  Gihon,  who  was  pain 
fully  wounded  early  in  the  action  and  remained  in 
command  of  the  company  until  it  reached  camp." 

The  night  following  the  battle  a  rumored  attack 
on  the  camp  called  all  available  men  into  service. 
Adjutant  Ames,  who  had  started  to  the  front  on  a 
caisson,  was  ordered  back  to  take  command  by 
General  Garretson.  The  troops  marched  out  half 
a  mile  from  camp,  where  they  were  halted  with 
orders  not  to  proceed  unless  firing  ahead  began. 
At  the  end  of  a  couple  of  hours,  as  no  Spaniards 
materialized  the  men  returned  to  camp. 

A  private  of  Company  A  writes  of  the  battle  : 

"  It  was  a  curious  thing,  and  one  that  was  not  noticed 
until  after  the  battle,  and  that  was  the  lack  of  superior 


86        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

officers  at  the  front.  There  was  no  colonel  or  lieutenant 
colonel,  majors,  chaplain,  or  surgeons,  and  it  has  been 
a  joke  ever  since,  especially  about  our  major,  who  came 
as  far  as  the  outpost,  and  from  that  time  we  saw  no 
more  of  him.  15 ut  Adjutant  Ames,  Captain  Gihon, 
Lieutenants  Gray  and  Langhorn,  were  in  the  thickest  of 
the  fight,  cheering  the  boys  and  giving  advice." 

The  experiences  of  men  for  the  first  time  under 
fire  were  various,  and  at  times  amusing.  With  the 
coolness  of  being  alone  in  the  woods  one  man  took 
out  his  pipe  and  lighted  it,  as  though  the  Spring- 
fields  did  not  make  smoke  enough  to  locate  us  ; 

o 

another  chased  his  hat  down  the  side  of  the  road, 
while  a  third  declined  to  shoot  a  Spaniard  with,  any 
gun  but  his  own,  and  went  up  and  down  his  com 
pany  line  to  find  his  gun  to  exchange  it. 

This  being  our  one  battle  has  given  it  undue 
prominence.  On  the  other  hand,  many  of  the 
men  during  the  summer  on  outpost  and  provost 
guard  duty  were  placed  in  situations  where  a 
steady  nerve  was  more  difficult  than  in  the  excite 
ment  of  battle.  A  fewr  evenings  after  the  battle, 
some  of  the  men  from  Company  I  had  an  experi 
ence  described  by  one  of  them  as  follows :  — 

Sergeant  George  G.  King  of  Company  I,  Con 
cord,  in  his  letter  of  July  27th  gives  the  following 
account  of  a  night  attack  :  — 

"About  nine  o'clock  Arthur  Armstrong,  who  was 
three  men  below  me  on  the  dark  road,  heard  a  horse's 


Guanica  87 

footsteps  near  him.  The  horse  single-footed  clown  the 
road  toward  Armstrong,  but  the  wood  was  so  dark  that 
he  could  n't  see  anything  but  the  black  mass.  When 
the  right  time  came  he  shouted  '  Halt '  twice.  The 
horse  slowed  down,  stopped,  and  getting  no  answer, 
Armstrong  fired  over  to  scare  the  rider  into  saying 
something.  When  he  heard  the  gun  the  horse  turned 
and  ran  back.  I  could  hear  the  whole  performance,  and 
have  n't  a  doubt  but  what  there  was  a  rider.  He  sent 
the  story  down  and  waited.  At  ten  they  called  us  in. 
Just  as  those  of  us  who  were  above  him  were  crossing 
Armstrong's  coast,  we  heard  the  hoof-beats  again  way 
up  the  road.  It  was  too  dark  then  to  see  anything,  but 
we  waited.  The  horse  stopped  almost  out  of  hearing. 
I  told  Arthur  to  come  along  with  me  to  find  out  what 
it  was.  We  knew  there  was  Spanish  cavalry  around, 
and  that  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  their  getting  over 
that  road  and  cutting  in  behind  the  outposts  if  we 
did  n't  stop  them.  We  went  perhaps  a  hundred  yards 
and  then  we  heard  the  sound  of  half  a  dozen  horses' 
feet  coming  at  a  gallop.  I  whispered  to  Arthur  to 
come  back  and  ambush  with  the  others.  We  had  just 
time.  I  was  nearest  the  horses,  and  when  the  black 
mass  loomed  up  not  twenty  feet  away  I  holloaed  to 
halt.  They  made  no  pretence  of  stopping,  and  I  pulled, 
but  my  gun  missed  fire.  Just  then  they  were  within  ten 
feet  and  I  saw  they  were  riderless.  But  just  at  the 
same  time  three  of  the  boys  fired.  I  shouted  to  stop 
them,  but  the  fun  had  begun  and  seven  of  them  emptied 
their  rifles.  All  the  horses  but  one  turned  and  ran. 
One  was  badly  hurt  and  fallen.  I  told  two  of  the  boys 
to  shoot  him.  Poor  fellow !  they  finished  him,  and  we 
went  in.  Our  skirmish  is  quite  a  joke  now,  but  we 
have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  we  did  the  right  thing, 


88        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

and  of  knowing  too,  that  when  the  blood  gets  stirred 
you  forget  to  be  afraid,  which  is  a  discovery  bringing 
immense  relief." 

The  abundance  and  cheapness  of  mangoes  were 
too  great  a  temptation  to  be  resisted,  although 
warned  against  them  by  friendly  natives.  A 
prevalence  of  cracked  lips  in  a  short  time  testified 
to  that  danger  if  nothing  worse. 

Oranges  were  occasionally  found,  but  they  were 
still  green,  while  pineapples  had  just  gone  by. 

The  orders  that  men  were  to  go  in  no  store  or 
building  of  any  kind  were  given,  and  a  guard 
stationed  at  all  liquor  stores  (which  in  Porto  Rico 
means  all  stores)  saw  that  this  rule  was  strictly 
enforced.  In  spite  of  this  certain  men  managed  to 
"fall  off  the  water  wagon"  with  a  bang. 

The  day  after  landing  a  member  of  the  regiment 
who  had  come  off  the  "  Yale "  ill,  went  to  the 
surgeons  at  the  division  hospital  tents  and  asked 
for  medicine.  He  was  told  to  drink  no  coffee  and 
to  eat  no  hardtack  or  tomatoes.  "  Drink  tea  and 
get  some  nourishing  food  "  was  the  prescription 
given.  He  was  told  they  had  nothing  of  that  kind 
at  the  dispensary  and  was  given  an  order  on  Captain 
Ham.  The  order  was  presented  to  Captain  Ham 
and  he  "  0.  K.'d"  it,  and  gave  the  man  an  order 
on  the  supplies  on  one  of  the  ships  in  the  harbor. 
Hiring  a  boat  a  visit  was  made  to  the  supply  ship, 


Guanica  -89 

with  the  result  that  ^  no  small  supplies  could  be 
dispensed."  Used  up  and  sick,  the  private  dragged 
himself  back  to  camp,  where  he  met  Adjutant 
Ames.  He  heard  his  story  and  immediately  took 
the  man  and  gave  him  what  he  wished  from  his 
private  stock.  Later,  West,  his  servant,  appeared 
at  the  dog  tent  where  the  man  was  lying,  with  a 
quart  of  hot  tea,  also  from  the  adjutant's  store. 
The  lieutenant  colonel  has  probably  forgotten  the 
kindness  that  day  shown  a  private,  but  he  kept  a 
man  out  of  the  hospital,  who  now  returns  thanks. 

The  regiment  w^as  moved  from  its  first  camp  on 
the  28th  to  a  field  a  short  distance  back  from  the 
coast  during  the  two  days  we  remained  there. 
When  the  regiment  moved  on  the  30th  Major 
Priest  was  left  with  Companies  B  and  D  for  guard 
duty. 


go        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 


CHAPTER  VI 

HESIGNATION    OF    OFFICERS    AT    PONCE 

7ULY  27.  A  foothold  having  been  won  at 
Guanica  and  sufficient  forces  landed  to  hold  that 
section,  Commander  Davis  left  Guanica  with  the 
" Dixie,"  "Gloucester,"  "Annapolis,"  and  "Wasp," 
for  the  port  of  Ponce  to  capture  lighters  for  the 
use  of  the  United  States  army.  There  was  no  re 
sistance,  the  Spaniards  having  evacuated  the  place, 
surrendering  to  Commander  Davis  on  demand,  and 
the  American  flag  was  raised  on  the  28th.  Sixty 
lighters  and  twenty  sailing  vessels  were  found  and 
appropriated.  General  Miles  soon  after  arrived 
with  the  transports  conveying  General  Ernst's  bri 
gade,  which  was  landed  at  once  and  entered  the  city 

D 

amidst  great  enthusiasm  and  applause.  Harding 
Davis  says  "Ponce  had  the  surrender  habit,"  and 
that  it  was  unsafe  for  a  uniformed  man  to  enter 
the  town  if  he  did  not  wish  to  receive  an  official 
and  unconditional  surrender. 

General  Miles  issued  the  following  proclamation  : 

"  In  the  prosecution  of  the  war  against  the  kingdom 
of  Spain  by  the  people    of  the  United  States,  in  the 


XELSON  A.  MILES, 
Major-General  commanding  U.  S.  Army. 


Resignation  of  Officers          93 

cause  of  liberty,  justice,  and  humanity,  its  military 
forces  have  come  to  occupy  the  island  of  Porto  Rico. 
They  come  bearing  the  banners  of  freedom,  inspired  by 
a  noble  purpose,  to  seek  the  enemies  of  our  Government 
and  of  yours,  and  to  destroy  or  capture  all  in  armed 
resistance.  They  bring  to  you  the  fostering  arms  of  a 
free  people,  whose  greatest  power  is  justice  and  human 
ity  to  all  living  within  their  fold.  Hence  they  release 
you  from  your  former  political  relations,  and,  it  is 
hoped,  this  will  be  followed  by  your  cheerful  acceptance 
of  the  Government  of  the  United  States. 

"  The  chief  object  of  the  American  military  forces 
will  be  to  overthrow  the  armed  authority  of  Spain  and 
give  the  people  of  your  beautiful  island  the  largest 
measure  of  liberty  consistent  with  this  military  occupa 
tion.  They  have  not  come  to  make  war  011  the  people 
of  the  country,  who  for  centuries  have  been  oppressed. 
But  on  the  contrary,  they  bring  protection  not  only  to 
yourselves,  but  to  your  property,  promote  your  prosper 
ity,  and  bestow  the  immunities  and  blessing  of  our 
enlightened  and  liberal  institutions  and  Government. 

"It  is  not  their  purpose  to  interfere  with  the  existing 
laws  and  customs  which  are  wholesome  and  beneficial 
to  the  people,  so  long  as  they  conform  to  the  rules  of  the 
military  administration,  in  order  and  justice.  This  is 
not  a  war  of  devastation  and  desolation,  but  one  to 
give  all  the  advantages  and  blessings  of  enlightened 
civilization." 

Jtil//  30.  With  the  Gtli  Illinois  as  advance  guard, 
followed  by  four  batteries  of  artillery,  the  6th  Massa 
chusetts  regiment  started  from  Guanica  at  9  A.  M.. 
anxious  to  overtake  the  retreating  Spaniards.  With 


94        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

colors  flying  and  enlivened  by  the  martial  music  of 
the  band  we  marched  through  the  village,  cheered 
by  the  natives  and  the  remaining  troops.  The 
band  played  us  out  of  town  and  again  by  the 
trenches  and  the  field  where  the  battle  had  been 
fought,  and  then,  well,  they  had  other  use  for  their 
breath.  Were  it  not  a  part  of  the  suffering  of  the 
regiment,  the  story  of  the  gradual  dissolution  of 
our  band  from  Guanica  to  Ponce  until  a  bass  drum 
and  clarionet  were  about  all  the  instruments  left 
at  the  head  of  the  column  would  be  amusing. 
With  the  adaptability  of  Yankees,  however,  when 
Ponce  was  reached  a  full  corps  was  improvised 
from  our  men,  and  they  blew  us  through  the 
town. 

Yauco  was  reached  about  2  r.  M.,  where  we  re 
ceived  a  welcome  such  as  can  be  showTn  only  in  the 
over-demonstrative  temperaments  of  an  excitable 
people.  The  enthusiasm,  however,  here  as  in  all 
other  places  was  confined  mostly  to  the  lower 
classes,  who  shouted,  danced,  yelled,  ran  after  the 
band,  and  became  fairly  insane  when  it  played,  it 
being  the  first  time  many  of  them  had  ever  seen 
or  heard  such  an  organization. 

July  31.  Yauco  was  left  at  7.30  A.  M.,  and  the 
regiment  marched  ten  miles  to  Tallaboa. 

Major  Darling  returned  to  Yauco  when  the  regi 
ment  left  Tallaboa  the  following  day,  where  Com- 


Resignation  of  Officers          95 

pany  L  had  been  left  on  provost  duty,  and  gave  the 
citizens  their  first  lesson  in  the  method  of  United 
States  administration.  Dr.  Gross  remained  there 
also  in  charge  of  the  hospital,  with  fifty-two  of  our 
sick  men. 

Extract  of  letter  of  private,  Company  L  :  — 

" .  .  .  On  July  30  our  brigade  left  Guanica  and  marched 
eight  miles  to  Yauco,  which  is  quite  a  nice  little  place. 


SPANISH  BLOCK-HOUSE. 


We  camped  there  over  night,  and  early  the  next  morn 
ing  the  rest  of  the  push  all  started  except  Company  L, 
which  was  left  behind  to  garrison  the  town  for  a  while. 
We  had  an  ideal  camp  ground  on  the  hillside,  and  the 
surrounding  view  was  grand,  —  large  sugar-cane  fields, 


g 6        The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

cocoanut-trees,  banana-trees,  mangoes,  and  coffee.  It 
was  immense,  and  the  mountains  all  around,  and  with 
the  weather  we  had  this  life  was  like  a  dream.  On 
our  right  was  the  town,  back  of  us  was  the  edge  of  a 
precipice,  and  to  our  left  down  the  hill  was  a  winding 
liver,  and  all  spread  out  in  front  of  us  was  this  splendid 
view.  Major  Darling  stayed  with  us  and  acted  as  mayor 
of  the  town,  and  Lieutenant  Jackson  was  his  assistant. 


NATIVE  LAUNDRY. 

Every  morning  numbers  of  women  and  girls  would  pass 
along  the  road  in  front  of  the  camp  down  to  the  river  to 
wash  clothes.  They  squat  along  the  banks,  washing  the 
clothes  011  the  stones,  beating  them  with  a  flat  stick,  and 
the  clothes  they  wash  are  white  and  clean  as  can  be. 
The  majority  of  the  natives  are  pretty  destitute,  and  if 
it  was  n't  for  the  sugar-cane  would  starve,  as  they  are 
eating  sugar-cane  all  the  time.  Hardtack  is  a  great 
luxury  for  Yauco.  The  natives  brought  us  everything 
we  wanted,  and  I  used  to  get  my  washing  done  in  ex- 


H.  W.  GROSS, 
First  Lieutenant  and  Assistant  Surgeon. 


Resignation  of  Officers          gg 

change  for  a  few  hardtacks.  There  are  lots  of  pretty 
girls  here  and  lots  of  ugly  ones,  just  like  any  other 
place.  Our  company  was  ordered  from  Yauco  August 
5th  to  join  our  regiment  at  Ponce,  so  that  afternoon  we 
were  taken  to  Ponce  on  a  freight  train  about  twenty- 
three  miles." 

August  1.    Just  after  leaving  Tallaboa,  we  passed 
a  house  where  two  ladies  from  the  piazza  of  their 
house  were  watching  the  troops.     One  with  snow- 
white  hair  held  out  her  arms  and  raised  her  eyes 
to  the  heavens  in  a  prayer  of  quiet  thanksgiving 
for  the  sight.     Her  dignity  and  beauty  made  one 
feel  she   was   saying,   "  Mine    eyes  have   seen  the 
glory  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord."     It  was  one  of 
the  few  cases  of  the  well-to-do  showing  enthusiasm. 
Many   of  the  best   houses   we  passed  were   closed 
and   every   blind   drawn,   although   occasionally   a 
pair  of  eyes  through  a  lattice  would  indicate  that 
there   was    Spanish    curiosity   within.     One  royal 
ist,  and  she  looked  it,  as  she  sat  on  her  piazza  em 
broidering,  refused  to  raise  her  eyes,  although  living 
in  a  secluded  place  where  any  excitement  would 
have  been  welcome.     Her  servants,  however,  from 
the  coffee  plantation  adjoining  quite  atoned  for  the 
seeming  indifference  of  the  mistress. 

It  was  on  this  march  that  Captain  Ham,  over 
taking  a  wagon  stuck  in  the  mud,  asked  in  the  ver 
nacular  of  Chimmie  Fadden,  what  they  were  doing. 


ioo      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

Receiving  a  reply  he  then  inquired  why  there  were 
only  three  wagons  instead  of  four,  commenting, 
"  Just  like  those  d — d  volunteers."  He  then  pro 
ceeded  to  lighten  the  load  by  pitching  boxes  of 
ammunition  off  the  wagon  until  he  came  to  a  box 
which,  as  it  looked  neither  like  canned  tomatoes 
or  ammunition,  he  was  unable  to  account  for.  In 
quiring  what  it  was,  the  "  L  "  man  replied,  "  That 
is  the  <  articifer V  box."  "Articifer,  articifer," 
repeated  the  captain,  "  and  what  in  the  h — 1  is 
an  articifer  ?  " 

When  the  regiment  left  Guanica  for  Ponce,  the 
men  were  in  heavy  marching  order,  which  meant 
besides  their  guns  and  cartridge  belts,  a  canteen, 
haversack  with  rations  and  fifty  extra  rounds 
of  ammunition,  their  rolls  wrapped  in  half  a  shel 
ter  tent  with  blanket,  poncho,  and  tent  stakes, 
and  every  personal  article  owned  by  the  soldier, 
the  total  weight  of  all  exceeding  forty  pounds. 
On  no  march  made  by  the  regiment  was  the 
distance  covered  in  one  day  in  excess  of  what  a 
well  man  could  walk  in  this  climate.  But  with 
out  exception  the  marches  made  by  the  regiment 
were  through  the  middle  and  heat  of  the  day,  on 
roads  rocky,  sandy,  or  muddy  which  led  over 
mountains,  or  through  valleys  where  the  sun  beat 
down  with  merciless  rays,  between  forests,  where 
every  breath  drawn  was  like  air  of  an  over-heated 


Resignation  of  Officers        101 


conservatory  on  a  summer's  da)Y  ;^Thu  day';} 
march  often  started  by  fording'  a  nverj-wtei'^be 
men's  shoes  would  be  filled  with  water  which  soon 
blistered  their  feet,  so  that  at  the  end  of  two  or 
three  hours'  walking  became  agony,  when  shoes 
would  be  taken  off  and  every  experiment  from 


FIVE  MINUTES'  REST. 

going  barefooted  to  the  primitive  sandal  would  be 
tried  as  a  relief.  Men  whose  blood  had  been  ex 
hausted,  whose  vitality  had  been  lost  from  star 
vation,  and  who  told  too  plainly  the  story  of  their 
suffering  in  the  drawn  faces  and  sunken  eyes, 
taxed  beyond  their  strength,  would  fall  beside  the 
road,  too  weary  to  know  what  was  said  or  to  care 
what  was  done.  Everything  that  was  not  abso 
lutely  necessary,  and  in  many  cases  articles  that 


102      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

wfere,  including'  sometimes  parts  of  blankets  and 
evsn  Wn'chogy  were  thrown  away,  in  order  to 
lighten  their  loads. 

These  were  men  from  one  of  the  best  regiments 
in  an  army  of  volunteers  of  whom  it  was  said :  — 

"  Far  more  offered  indeed  than  the  government 
was  ready  to  accept,  and  a  most  rigid  system  of  health 
inspection  was  inaugurated  in  order  that  none  but  those 
in  a  state  of  full  health  and  capable  of  enduring  the 
hardships  of  campaigning  in  a  tropical  island  should  be 
enrolled.  The  result  was  to  give  the  government  one 
of  the  most  physically  perfect  armies  that  had  ever 
been  put  in  the  field." 

When  a  halt  was  made  for  a  few  minutes'  rest 
the  ever-present  native  would  go  up  a  cocoanut- 
tree  with  a  rapidity  and  dexterity  that  would 
shame  a  monkey.  As  the  nuts  were  dropped  one 
at  a  time  a  general  scramble  would  take  place  for 
them,  the  lucky  winner  carrying  off  his  prize  to 
another  native,  who  with  one  stroke  of  his  deftly 
handled  machete  would  open  the  end  and  place 
the  coveted  milk  in  reach.  No  champagne  ever 
equalled  the  sparkle  and  thirst-quenching  pro 
perty  of  the  cocoanut  milk  on  those  marches. 

As  in  all  large  bodies  of  men  there  is  a  percen 
tage  of  sickness  from  indiscretions  of  life  or  diet, 
so  such  existed  in  this  regiment.  Lack  of  nourish 
ing  food  stimulated  a  desire  for  drink,  and  the 


Resignation  of  Officers        103 

difficulty  of  obtaining  water  on  the  marches  made 
men,  when  seized  with  the  terrible  hunger  and 
thirst  attendant  on  exertion  in  the  tropics,  not  only 
careless  but  desperate  in  their  disregard  of  sanitary 
laws. 

There  were  also  exceptional  cases  when  men 
took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  fall  out  in 
order  that  they  might 
get  in  the  stores  of  the 
town  before  going  to 
the  camp  for  drink. 
But  day  after  day  boys 
and  men  fell  by  the 
roadside,  whose  faces 
were  purple  and  whose 
breathing  were  spas 
modic  gasps  for  breath ; 
others  in  dead  faints 
and  some  in  convulsions, 

shrieking  like  maniacs 

AFTER  COCOANUTS. 

lor  the  water  they  could 

not  have,  left  by  the  roadside  with  some  comrade, 
to  follow  on  as  best  they  could  or  to  be  picked  up 
by  the  ambulance  or  surgeons,  while  the  main  line 
pushed  forward  with  the  speed  of  a  forced  march. 

The  feelings  of  the  regiment  can  perhaps  be 
easier  imagined  than  described,  when  after  all  it 
had  endured,  such  articles  as  the  following  editorial 


The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

from  the  Baltimore  "  Sim  "  of  August  6,  began  to 
reach  camp. 

HISTORIC  REGIMENTS. 

44  The  6th  Massachusetts  was  received  on  its  recent 
passage  through  Baltimore  with  great  enthusiasm,  and 
some  of  our  municipal  officials  are  said  to  have  wept 
in  the  exuberance  of  the  glorious  emotions  stirred  by 
the  sight  of  it.  It  has  since  distinguished  itself  in  a 
sinister  way.  When  paid  off  the  other  day  it  made  a 
discreditable  row.  Being  sent  afterward  to  Porto  Rico, 
its  members  lagged  behind  011  the  march  toward  San 
Juan  in  a  manner  the  reverse  of  gallant.  All  its  regi 
mental  officers  but  one  are  said  to  have  resigned.  Its 
record  is  on  a  par  with  that  of  the  71st  New  York,  re 
ported  by  General  Kent  as  having  obstructed  the  advance 
of  his  men  in  the  fight  before  Santiago  by  lying  down 
so  persistently  that  Kent's  men  had  to  march  over  their 
prostrate  forms.  The  present  6th  Massachusetts  seems 
to  be  of  the  class  of  warriors  that  win  their  glory  before 
the  fighting  begins.  Its  predecessor  was  most  famous 
for  what  it  suffered  from  Baltimore  brickbats." 

"Et  tu,  Brute!" 

The  question  is  often  asked  since  our  return, 
"  Did  the  men  fall  out  in  such  numbers  ? "  Yes, 
they  did,  not  only  from  the  6th  Massachusetts  and 
other  volunteer  regiments,  but  also  from  the 
regulars.  Men  who  had  been  starved,  or  dieted, 
if  you  please,  until  all  reserve  strength  had  gone, 
and  were  then  expected  to  do  the  work  of  strong 
men.  simply  could  not.  Nearly  a  month  had 


Resignation  of  Officers        105 

passed  since  the  regiment  had  received  food  that 
was  sufficiently  nourishing  for  a  working  diet,  and 
the  result  was  what  might  have  been  expected. 
The  blame  for  falling  out,  if  blame  there  be, 
belongs  not  to  the  enlisted  men,  but  to  wrhoever 
or  whatever  was  responsible  for  allowing  such  a 
condition  of  affairs  to  arise,  or  still  more  to  con 
tinue  to  exist. 

That  a  large  percentage  of  the  general  sickness 
which  afterwards  rendered  over  half  the  regiment 
unfit  for  duty  is  clue  to  this  same  cause  of  weak 
ened  constitutions  being  more  susceptible  to  disease, 
there  can  be  no  doubt.  That  there  was  also  a 
moral  influence  working  unconsciously  against 
discipline  and  self-control  from  a  loss  of  confidence 
in  their  officers'  ability  to  rectify  wrong,  after  the 
experiences  the  regiment  had  been  through  on  the 
"  Yale,"  is  entirely  probable. 

IN   HEAVY   MARCHING   ORDER. 

TO    A.    L.    K. 

When  the  order  "  forward  "  was  given, 
And  the  column  stretched  out  and  inarched 
Over  roads  that  were  rough  and  unfinished, 
Through  forests  all  burned  and  parched ; 
With  their  rolls,  at  the  first  all  too  heavy. 
Increasing  as  hours  dragged  away, 
But  some  carried  a  burden  far  greater 
That  could  not  be  thrown  off  with  the  day. 


106      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

A  burden  of  memories  vivid, 

Burned  into  the  soul  with  God's  fire, 

Of  life's  opportunities  wasted 

Through  failings  and  weakness  so  dire, 

Which  daily  grew  brighter  and  brighter 

Like  iron  made  ready  to  bend, 

Being  heated  and  hammered  and  shapen 

By  God's  blacksmith,  the  judgment  of  men. 

And  when  the  day's  journey  had  ended, 
And  men  threw  their  burdens  aside, 
To  lie  down  aweary  and  slumber 
Like  boats  resting  light  on  the  tide ; 
Then  the  burden  was  felt  in  its  fulness, 
Relieved  from  the  physical  pain, 
As  through  weary  nights  tossed  the  soldier 
On  the  endless  march  in  the  brain. 

For  if  nature  through  over-exertion 
Claimed  the  physical  man  for  sleep, 
The  brain,  as  though  weary  of  reason, 
Rushed  backward,  fond  memories  to  keep 
With  those  far  away  from  camp  turmoil 
Amid  pleasures  uncolored  by  strife, 
To  a  scene  and  old  friends  once  familiar, 
All  dearer — far  dearer  —  than  life. 


0  God,  in  thy  infinite  mercy, 
Lift  this  load  from  a  heart-broken  man, 
Send  sleep  without  dreams  to  refreshen 
The  nights  now  passed  under  Thy  ban, 
Till  the  journey  of  life  gladly  ended 
We  cast  down  the  burden  to  One, 
Who  in  fulness  of  knowledge  must  pity 
Such  soldiers  for  sake  of  Thy  Son. 


Resignation  of  Officers        107 

August  4.  The  command  arrived  at  Ponce  in 
the  afternoon  after  a  cruel  march  of  twelve  miles, 
presenting  a  straggling  and  forlorn  appearance, 
which  not  even  the  appeal  to  "  old  Glory  on  the 
hill  "  could  disguise.  United 
States  troops  had  already 
taken  possession  of  the  city, 
and  as  we  entered  the  town 
we  found  among  the  crowds  lining  the  streets 
numbers  of  army  and  naval  officers,  immaculate 
in  white  duck,  "  sizing  us  up."  The  men  were 
completely  exhausted,  but  they  took  a  tremendous 
brace,  stimulated  by  our  improvised  band  playing 
national  airs.  The  reception  given  the  regiment 
was  an  enthusiastic  one,  but  the  troops  were  too 
i:  done  up "  to  enjoy  or  appreciate  it. 

Camp  was  pitched  about  two  miles  beyond  Ponce 
in  an  old  sugar-cane  field,  rough  with  furrows  and 
covered  with  stones,  where  we  had  our  only  expe 
rience  with  centipedes.  Scarcely  a  night  passed 
without  Hospital  Steward  Ryder  being  awakened 
to  relieve  some  sufferer,  but  fortunately,  owing  to 
his  peculiarly  efficient  treatment,  there  were  no  fatal 
cases. 

Up  to  this  time  the  life  of  the  regiment  on  the 
island  had  been  one  of  such  hardship  that  the  eyes 
of  the  men  had  been  blinded  to  the  beauties  of 
nature.  That  we  had  marched  through  avenues 


io8      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

of  cocoanut-trees,  along  roads  bordered  with  coffee 
plantations  growing  in  the  shadow  of  banana  or 
orange  trees,  over  mountains  whose  summits  were 
crowned  with  royal  palms  and  tree  ferns,  under 
precipices  of  rock  festooned  with  delicate,  trailing 
vines  over  a  groundwork  of  moss,,  by  rocks  whose 


A  COMPANY  STREET. 

every  crystal  seemed  to  furnish  substance  for  some 
flowering  plant,  was  obvious  to  few.  With  bowed 
heads  and  eyes  blinded  by  dust  and  perspiration, 
there  was  no  place  for  beauty.  Occasionally  a  man 
would  reach  for  an  orchid  hanging  from  some  way 
side  rock,  or  would  exclaim  on  the  panoramic  view 


Resignation  of  Officers          109 

which  would  open  before  us  as  we  rounded  some 
sharp  curve,  where  thousands  of  feet  below  a  stream 
like  a  silver  ribbon  would  glisten  for  a  moment  in 
the  sun,  and  then  hide  itself  in  its  home  under  the 
dark  foliage.  If  we  passed  a  brook  splashing  down 
over  the  rocks  from  its  mountain  source,  it  was 
not  the  clearness  of  the  water  or  the  sylvan-like 
haunts  in  delicate  ferns  arched  over  the  bed  of  the 
brook  that  was  remarked,  but  the  possibility7  of 
getting  a  drink  or  a  canteen  filled  regardless  of 
the  possible  typhoid  germs  ere  an  order  should 
sound  to  fall  in  and  not  to  drink  it. 

The  character  and  disposition  of  the  natives 
have  been  over-estimated  and  judged  entirely  too 
kindly.  The  enthusiastic  reception  accorded  the 
troops  on  all  sides  in  the  country  and  by  the  crowds 
in  the  streets  was  the  expression  not  of  the  sub 
stantial  class  of  the  island  but  of  the  crowds  always 
foremost  on  such  occasions  in  expressing  the  spirit 
of  the  mob,  whether  it  be  kindly  or  threatening ; 
and,  while  it  is  of  course  pleasant  to  receive  a 
welcome  even  from  the  irresponsible  class,  it  is  not 
safe  to  allow  that  to  stand  as  the  expression  of  the 
minds  of  the  intelligent  natives.  They  were  like 
children  who,  pleased  with  a  new  toy  or  amusement, 
and  dazzled  by  the  uniforms  and  brass  bands,  gave 
over-demonstrative  expressions  and  signs  of  affec 
tion.  That  this  was  only  ephemeral  was  shown 


iio      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

after  a  very  few  weeks,  by  the  diminution  of  re 
spect  felt  for  and  shown  the  Americans,  when  the 
novelty  of  the  situation  had  worn  away  and  they 
began  to  discover  that  the  Americans  were  not 
there  to  entertain  them  or  to  enable  them  to  spend 
the  rest  of  their  days  in  idleness,  good-natured 


A  GROUP  OF  NATIVES. 

though  they  be.  On  the  other  hand  the  shopkeepers 
were  not  only  not  demonstrative  but  were  in  most 
cases  rascally  dishonest  in  their  dealings  with  the 
very  men  who  were  guarding  their  stores  from  the 
violence  of  the  lower  classes.  Prices  were  not  only 


Resignation  of  Officers 


iii 


increased  but  in  some  cases  positively  doubled  over 
those  asked  the  natives,  an  abuse  which  became  so 
great  that  it  became  necessary  to  threaten  them 
with  having  their  stores  closed  to  remedy  it. 
When  the  troops  were  paid  in  Utuado  the  first  time 
in  three  months,  the  men  had  a  large  amount  of 
money  and  spent  it  freely,  even  recklessly,  when 
advantage  was  taken  on  all  sides,  both  as  to  rates 
of  exchange  and  in  prices  charged. 

Those  who  go  to  Porto  Rico  expecting  to  find 
a  simple-minded,  kind-hearted,  honest  native,  will 
be  greatly  surprised  by  the  revelation  of  the  true 
state  of  affairs.  From  the  children  in  the  market 
through  all  classes  of  tradespeople  we  found  it 
necessary  to  be  constantly  on  our  guard.  Their 
attitude  toward  honesty  was  expressed  by  one  of 
the  leading  physicians  in  Utuado  by  "  We  call  an 
honest  man  a  fool  down  here."  That  such  a  state 
of  affairs  should  exist  cannot  be  wondered  at  when 
for  years  their  political  system  has  been  in  the 
hands  of  unscrupulous  and  money-making  officials. 
"Americano  mucho  bueno  "  is  pleasant  but  cheap, 
and  "  Americano "  will  become  to  the  populace 
"mucho  malo "  just  so  soon  as  Uncle  Sam  sits 
down  to  stay. 

No  Yankee  was  ever  more  keen  for  business 
than  were  the  Porto  Rican  shopkeepers,  and  the 
rapidity  with  which  they  acquired  our  trading 


ii2      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

vocabulary  was  exceeded  only  by  that  of  their 
children.  Frequently  the  small  boy  who  had 
picked  up  in  a  few  weeks  enough  English,  acted 
as  interpreter  for  his  less  skilful  father  behind  the 
counter,  taking  change  and  learning  a  new  vocabu 
lary  at  the  same  time.  Children  would  walk  along 
the  street  and  hold  up  an  article,  naming  it  in 
Spanish,  until  you  repeated  the  name  of  the  article 
in  English,  when  they  would  go  on  their  way  re 
peating  the  English  word  aloud  over  and  over  until 
they  could  claim  it  as  part  of  their  new  vocabulary. 
Like  children  they  were  proud  of  the  new  tool, 
but  they  invariably  wished  you  "  Good-night "  at 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

I  passed  one  day  in  the  country  a  small  lad 
walking  with  his  head  down  on  his  return  from 
town,  and  who  was  all  oblivious  to  the  approach 
of  a  stranger,  so  wrapped  up  was  he  in  his  newly 
acquired  English,  which  he  was  repeating  aloud 
over  and  over,  "  Get  to  —  of  here." 

August  5.  Rumors  of  disagreement  and  discon 
tent  existing  at  headquarters  were  confirmed  by 
the  resignation  of  the  three  senior  officers  of  the 
regiment,  together  with  the  chaplain  and  one 
captain. 

The  "  Boston  Journal "  gave  Massachusetts 
people  the  first  intimation  of  trouble  in  the  follow 
ing  despatch : 


COLONEL  CHARLES  WOODWARD. 


Resignation  of  Officers        115 

FIVE  OFFICERS  RESIGN. 

GREAT  SENSATION  CAUSED  BY  TROUBLE  ix  THE  SIXTH 
MASSACHUSETTS  NOW  WITH  MILES  ix  PORTO  Rico. 

BOSTOX,  Aug.  4. 

A  special  cablegram  to  the  u  Journal"  from  Ponce, 
Porto  Rico,  says : 

A  tremendous  sensation  has  occurred  in  the  Sixth 
Massachusetts  regiment,  which  is  in  General  Garretson's 
brigade.  The  friction  between  the  line  officers  of  the 
regiment  and  the  officers  of  the  brigade,  which  has 
been  growing  ever  since  the  command  left  Cuba,  reached 
its  climax  Monday  when  Colonel  Woodward,  Lieuten 
ant  Colonel  Chaffin,  Major  Taylor,  Chaplain  Dusseault, 
and  Captain  Goodell  of  Co.  K  resigned  their  commissions. 

The  exact  reason  which  prompted  them  to  take  this 
action  is  not  at  present  known. 

The  resignation  leaves  Maj.  Charles  K.  Darling  in 
command  of  the  regiment. 

The  matter  has  been  fully  reported  to  General  Miles 
and  a  rigid  investigation  has  been  ordered.  By  military 
law  to  resign  in  the  face  of  the  enemy  means  a  court- 
martial. 

POXCE,   Aug.  7,  1898. 

GOVERNOR  WOLCOTT  : 

The  resignation  of  Col.  Chas.  F.  Woodward,  6th 
Massachusetts,  has  been  accepted  to-day,  August  5,  and 
I  recommend  appointment  of  Lieut.  Col.  Edmund  Rice 
to  fill  vacancy.  Colonel  Rice  is  here,  and  I  am  sure  he 
will  make  that  regiment  an  honor  to  the  State. 

NELSON  A.  MILES, 

Major  General  Commanding  Arm)/. 


1 1  6      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

"  GOVERNOR  WOLCOTT  : 

"  The  colonel  and  lieutenant  colonel  Sixth  Massachu 
setts  have  resigned.     I  recommend  Lieut.  Col.  Edmund 

o 

Rice,  U.  S.  Volunteers,  who  had  best  regiment  in  army 
of  Potomac,  Nineteenth  Massachusetts,  be  appointed 
Colonel." 


HEADQUARTER? 


When  the  resignation  of  these  officers  was  ac 
cepted,  Major  Darling,  the  senior  major  and  next 
in  command,  was  in  charge  of  affairs  at  Yauco. 
Major  Priest  was  engaged  in  a  like  duty  at 
Guanica,  leaving  Captain  Cook  the  senior  officer  at 
that  time  in  camp,  who  acted  as  colonel  until  the 
return,  four  clays  later,  of  Major  Darling.  Captain 
Barrett  of  Company  M,  who  at  the  same  time  was 
the  subject  of  charges  of  inefficiency,  went  before 
the  board  and  was  entirely  exonerated  from  any 
blame,  the  judgment  being  that  whatever  demor 
alization  there  had  been  was  the  necessary  sequence 
of  a  disordered  condition  of  affairs  at  headquarters. 

During  this  unfortunate  period,  when  the  regi 
ment  was  left  with  no  officer  higher  than  a  captain 
in  command,  the  men,  if  ever  inclined  to  show  a 
spirit  of  disaffection  or  demoralization,  would  have 
shown  it  then.  Xo  si^n  of  "bad  blood"  was 


MAJOR  CHARLES  K.  DARLING. 


Resignation  of  Officers        119 

manifest.  When  the  news  of  the  resignation  of 
the  officers  became  known,  the  men  gathered  in 
groups  and  discussed  it,  but  there  was  no  sugges 
tion  of  breach  of  discipline. 

Before  leaving,  the  lieutenant  colonel  said  good 
bye  to  several  companies  and  was  cheered  by  the 
men.  Individually  there  were  many  men  in  the 
regiment  who  for  years  had  known  the  officers 
and  whose  personal  feeling  was  entirely  one  of 
kindness. 

Chaplain  Dusseault  was  greatly  liked  by  the 
men,  and  his  departure  was  regretted  by  all. 

Order  was  quickly  restored  by  Governor  Wol- 
cott's  prompt  action  :  — 

"  Colonel  Rice  of  the  regular  army  was  appointed  by 
General  Miles  to  command  the  regiment,  and  Adjutant 
Ames  was  appointed  lieutenant  colonel.  Major  Dar 
ling  became  senior  major,  Major  Priest  of  the  third 
battalion  moved  up  one  point,  and  Captain  Gihon  of 
Company  A  was  appointed  acting  major  of  the  third 
battalion. 

"  In  addition  to  the  coming  of  Col.  Edmund  Rice  as 
the  permanent  commander  of  the  regiment,  a  week 
later  Adjt.  Butler  Ames  was  promoted  to  lieutenant 
colonel;  Lieutenant  Gray  of  Company  A  to  captain, 
2d  Lieutenant  Hunton  of  Company  G  to  1st  lieutenant, 
and  Sergeant  Major  Pierson  became  a  2cl  lieutenant. 
The  only  other  two  promotions  made  thereafter  in  the 
regiment  were  of  Sergeants  Draper  and  Edwards  to 
2d  lieutenants.  Lieutenant  Coolidge  of  Company  E 


I2O      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

became  later  the  permanent  regimental  adjutant. 
Captain  Gilion  of  Company  A,  who,  though  severely 
wounded  in  the  skirmish  at  Yauco  road,  declined  to 
leave  his  company  during  the  action,  was  recommended 
for  promotion  ;  but  the  War  Department's  ruling  that 
only  two  majors  were  to  be  allowed  to  a  regiment  of 
infantry  in  cases  where  there  were  not  already  three, 
prevented  this  deserved  recognition  of  his  merit.  He 
was,  however,  commissioned  by  Governor  Wolcott  as 
major,  and  thereafter  commanded  a  battalion." 

Movements  of  magnitude  are  usually  of  neces 
sity  slowly  put  into  motion.  A  pleasing  exception 
to  this  was  the  rapidity  with  which  the  machinery 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  was  got 
into  working  order  by  having,  three  days  after  the 
President's  call  for  volunteers,  a  meeting  of  the 
International  Committee  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  Associa 
tion  in  the  City  of  New  York,  when  a  decision  was 
reached  for  immediate  action.  We  cannot  here  go 
into  the  history  of  the  wonderful  rapidity  with 
which  every  camp  w~as  supplied  with  a  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
headquarters;  suffice  it  to  say  it  was  done,  and 
that  without  strain  or  friction  in  the  organization. 

Only  those  familiar  with  camp  life  realize  what 
the  absence  of  all  places  and  opportunities  for 
social  life  means  to  the  soldier.  It  is  hard  for  him 
to  carry  writing  materials  or  to  find  a  place  to 
write  his  letters.  The  big  tents  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
became  at  once  a  reading  room,  writing  room, 


Resignation  of  Officers 


121 


social  hall  as  well  as  a  church.  The  spirit  of 
tolerance  and  the  atmosphere  of  brotherhood 
characterized  the  headquarters,  while  the  entire 
absence  of  sectarianism  made  all  feel  equally  at 
home.  Second  only  to  the  Red  Cross  society  in 
importance  of  all  organizations  connected  with  our 
army  was  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

As  an   exponent    of    the    best   features    of   this 
system  the  men   of   the   6th  Massachusetts  were 


MR.   DWIGHT  L.  ROGERS,  OF  THE  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

particularly  fortunate  in  having  assigned  to  them 
Mr.  Dwight  L.  Rogers,  a  State  Secretary  of  the  As 
sociation  in  Massachusetts.  He  was  with  the  regi 
ment  during  the  entire  summer,  and  after  the 
resignation  of  the  chaplain,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dusseault, 
he  conducted  the  Sunday  services  as  well.  His 


122      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

uniform  devotion  to  the  good  of  the  men,  and  his 
sincerity  in  his  untiring  efforts  to  help  them  in 
every  way,  has  won  for  him  a  place  in  the  hearts 
of  the  men  that  will  last  as  long  as  the  remem 
brance  of  the  name  of  Porto  Rico. 

For  reasons  known  only  to  those  in  command  at 
the  time  there  had  been  no  religious  services  of 
any  kind  held  in  the  regiment  from  July  2d  at 
Camp  Alger  until  August  7th  at  Ponce,  when  they 
were  continued  by  Mr.  Rogers.  After  this  date  not 
a  Sunday  passed  without  services  unless  marching. 

August  6.  The  regiment  was  supplied  with  new 
Krag-Jorgensen  rifles,  when  they  turned  in  their  old 
Springfields  and  part  of  their  extra  ammunition. 

The  first  bread  we  had  seen  since  leaving  Camp 
Alger  was  found  here,  and  of  a  quality  equal  to 
the  best  French  bread.  Milk  also  was  bought 
from  the  wagons  near  the  camp. 

August  8.  Passes  were  issued  for  a  number  of 
men  to  go  to  town,  where  they  were  able  to  get 
a  "  square  meal "  and  lay  in  a  supply  of  tobacco, 
etc.  The  French  Hotel  had  not  then  become  so 
popular  but  a  private  could  get  a  table. 

Distribution  was  made  in  camp  of  supplies  re 
ceived  from  the  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Aid 
Society  of  pipes,  tobacco,  canned  fruit,  and  comfort 
bags. 

These  last  were  valued  by  the  men  more  highly 


Resignation  ot  Officers        123 

than  anything  received,  and  were  retained  when 
everything  else  was  thrown  away.  The  writer 
still  has  the  one  made  by  No.  62,  First  Unitarian 
Society,  and  hopes  the  sender  of  it  may  some  day 
see  this  and  accept  his  thanks. 

Buttons,  patches,  rents,  were  all  "  attempted  " 
by  the  men  after  receiving  their  "  housewives,"  if 
the  results  were  not  altogether  satisfactory. 

Whatever  formalities  are  essential  to  good  army 
discipline  were  waived  on  the  day  when  the 
carriage  containing  Captain  Gihon  arrived  in 
camp  from  Guanica.  He  had  been  kept  in  the 
hospital  there  when  the  regiment  left,  and  no  one 
knew  how  serious  his  wound  might  be.  The  word 
of  his  return  as  a  convalescent  spread  quickly 
through  the  camp,  when  the  carriage  was  immedi 
ately  surrounded  by  the  men,  who  voiced  their 
welcome  to  the  captain  in  rousing  cheers,  and 
demonstrated  their  affection  for  him  to  a  degree 
that  made  every  officer  in  sight  wish  lie  might 
have  been  in  like  position. 

General  orders  No.  19. 

Congratulates  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Sixth 
Massachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry  that  having  had  to  a 
greater  extent  than  others  of  his  command  an  opportu 
nity  to  show  their  efficiency  under  fire  they  have  not 
failed  under  the  test. 

GENERAL  GAIUIETSOX. 


124       ^he  Sixth  Massachusetts 

BOSTON,  December,  1898. 

Colonel  Woodward  of  the  6th  regiment  sent  his  resig 
nation  to  the  governor  this  morning,  and  it  was  immedi 
ately  accepted. 

Col.  Charles  F.  Woodward  has  been  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  6th  regiment,  M.  V.  M.,  for  about  eighteen 
months.  When  the  call  for  troops  was  issued  last 
spring,  Colonel  Woodward  was  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service  and  went  to  Camp  Alger,  Va.,  in 
command  of  the  regiment. 

The  trouble  which  culminated  in  his  resignation 
began  at  Camp  Alger.  He  incurred  the  displeasure  of 
Brigadier  General  Garretson,  who  commanded  the 
brigade  to  which  the  6th  was  assigned,  by  objecting  to 
having  Company  L,  the  colored  company,  removed  from 
the  regiment. 

General  Garretson  did  not  wish  to  have  colored  troops 
in  his  command,  especially  as  it  was  only  one  colored 
company  in  a  white  regiment,  and  he  endeavored  to 
have  them  transferred  to  the  9th  Ohio  colored  battalion. 

Colonel  Woodward,  however,  objected,  and  the  idea 
was  abandoned. 

When  the  regiment  landed  in  Porto  Rico,  several  com 
plaints  were  made  against  Colonel  Woodward,  alleging 
that  he  remained  on  the  transport  after  his  regiment  had 
landed,  and  did  not  lead  them  in  the  skirmish  which 
took  place  on  the  morning  after  they  landed. 

The  breach  between  the  brigade  officers  and  the  regi 
mental  officers  grew  wider,  and,  finally,  when  the  regi 
ment  arrived  at  Ponce,  a  board  of  inquiry  was  ordered 
to  examine  Colonel  Woodward  and  several  other  officers 
of  the  regiment  as  to  efficiency. 

The  officers  thought  that  this  was  simply  an  excuse 


Resignation  of  Officers        125 

to  force  them  out  of  the  service,  and,  consequently,  on 
August  4,  five  of  them  resigned.  These  five  were 
Colonel  Woodward,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Chaffin,  Major 
Taylor,  Chaplain  Dusseault,  and  Captain  Goodell  of 
Company  K. 

Although  he  resigned  his  commission  as  colonel  of 
the  6th  Massachusetts  regiment,  United  States  Volun 
teers,  Colonel  Woodward  was  still  colonel  of  the  6th 
regiment,  M.  V.  M.,  and  it  was  this  commission  that  he 
has  resigned  to-day. 

The  law  which  permitted  Colonel  Woodward  to  retain 
his  commission  in  the  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Militia, 
after  having  been  commissioned  colonel  in  the  United 
States  volunteers,  as  well  as  the  law  creating  the  provi 
sional  militia,  was  substantially  the  product  of  the  brain 
of  Colonel  Woodward,  who  at  that  time  was  a  member 
of  the  State  Senate,  and  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
military  affairs  on  the  part  of  the  Senate. 

Following  his  resignation  from  the  United  States 
volunteer  service  and  his  return  home,  he  reported  for 
duty  as  colonel  of  the  6th  regiment,  M.  V.  M.,  much  to 
the  surprise  of  military  men. 

His  resignation,  which  was  accepted  to-day,  was  anti 
cipated,  as  some  eight  weeks  ago  he  turned  over  to  the 
quartermaster  general  the  limited  amount  of  state  prop 
erty  in  his  possession,  which  is  always  preliminary  to  an 
officer's  leaving  the  service. 

When  rumors  of  war  began  to  take  the  form  of 
probability,  Col.  Edmund  Rice,  U.  S.  A.?  at  that 
time  stationed  at  Tokio,  Japan,  asked  to  be  trans 
ferred  to  duty  in  the  United  States,  where  he  might 
be  ready  for  service  if  war  was  declared.  Thus  it 


126      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

happened  that  when  the  6th  was  left  without  a 
colonel.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Rice,  being  then  at 
Ponce  on  General  Miles' s  staff,  was  available  for 
colonel  of  the  6th  Massachusetts,  U.  S.  V.  His 
reluctance  to  accept  this  position  after  application 
had  been  made  by  some  of  the  officers  for  another 
colonel  explains  his  delay  of  several  days  in  joining 
his  command  after  his  appointment. 

That  the  6th  wras  fortunate,  no  matter  how  effi 
cient  an  officer  may  have  been  deprived  of  promo 
tion  by  this  appointment,  no  member  of  the 
regiment  will  doubt.  Seldom  does  good  fortune 
favor  men  in  the  field  as  on  this  occasion.  Fol 
lowing  the  resignation  of  the  regiment's  officers, 
rumors  were  broadcast  as  to  the  demoralized  con 
dition  of  the  regiment,  until  its  reputation  wras 
in  the  balance  of  public  opinion.  That  at  this 
supreme  moment  such  a  man  as  Colonel  Rice 
should  have  been  instantly  available  did  much  to 
save  the  good  name,  and  prove  to  the  country  that 
the  6th  was  all  right.  The  after  record  of  the 
regiment  dispelled  whatever  doubt  existed  in  the 
minds  of  the  public  as  to  its  efficiency,  while 
the  following  sketch  of  Colonel  Rice's  career  in 
army  life  is  a  certificate  that  "  the  right  man  to 
meet  the  emergency  was  in  the  right  place." 

Colonel  Rice  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  Decem 
ber  2,  1842.  He  entered  the  Norwich  Universit}^  in 


Resignation  of  Officers        127 

1856,  and  remained  nearly  three  years.     The  degree  of 
B.S.  was  conferred  upon  him  in  1874  as  for  1859. 

Captain  19th  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  July  25, 
1861. 

Engaged  in  the  battle  of  Ball's  Bluff,  Peninsular 
Campaign,  battles  of  M}Tron's  Mills,  Siege  of  York- 
town,  West  Point,  Fair  Oaks,  Oak  Grove,  Peach 
Orchard,  Allen's  Farm,  Savage  Station,  White  Oak 
Swamp,  Glendale  (commanded  regiment),  Malvern 
Hill,  Second  Malvern  Hill,  Bull  Run,  Fairfax  Court 
House,  South  Mountain,  and  Antietam  (severely 
wounded). 

Major  19th  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  September, 
1862. 

Joined  regiment  at  Falmouth,  and  engaged  in 
the  second  attack  on  Fredericksburg,  and  action  at 
Thoroughfare  Gap. 

Battle  of  Gettysburg  (wounded  twice),  in  the  repulse 
of  Piekett's  charge. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  19th  Massachusetts  Volunteers, 
July,  1863.  Commanded  regiment  in  the  Rapidan 
campaign  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  battles  of 
Bristoe  Station,  Blackburn's  Ford,  Robinson's  Cross 
Roads,  and  Mine  Run. 

In  April,  1864,  on  the  occasion  of  the  review  of  the 
different  corps  of  the  Army  by  General  Grant,  the 
19th  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  Lieut.  Col.  E.  Rice 
commanding,  was  selected  by  General  Meade,  as  his 
was  one  of  the  two  best-drilled  and  disciplined  regi 
ments  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  to  drill  before 
Generals  Grant,  Meade,  and  Sheridan,  and  the  Corps 
Commanders. 

Commanded  regiment  in  the  battles  of  The  Wilder 
ness,  4th,  5th,  6th,  and  7th  of  May ;  and  Spottsylvania, 


128      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

8th  and  9th  ;  Laurel  Hill,  10th  and  lltli.  Captured  in  the 
assault  at  the  death  angle,  Spottsylvania,  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  12th  of  May,  1864,  and  in  North  Carolina, 

O  v     7 

while  being  conveyed  South,  escaped  by  cutting  through 
the  door  of  a  freight  car  in  which  the  prisoners  were 
confined,  and  jumped  from  it  while  the  train  was  under 
full  headway,  reached  the  Union  lines,  near  the  Ohio 
River,  after  travelling  twenty-three  nights  (resting  by 
day),  having  walked  between  three  and  four  hundred 
miles. 

Colonel  10th  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  July,  1804. 

Rejoined  regiment  in  front  of  Petersburg,  August, 
1864,  and  in  command  of  Fort  Rice,  and  engaged  in  the 
battles  of  Second  Deep  Bottom,  Weldoii  Railroad, 
Ream's  Station,  and  Second  Hatcher's  Run. 

In  command  of  Fort  Steadman,  and  Batteries  11  and 
12,  in  front  of  Petersburg. 

At  the  surrender  of  the  Rebel  Army  at  Appomattox 
Court  House. 

Mustered  out  June  30th,  and  regiment  disbanded 
July  20,  1865. 

First  Lieutenant  40th  U.  S.  Infantry,  July,  1866,  and 
received  three  brevets  in  the  Regular  Army,  namely:  — 

Brevet  Captain  U.  S.  Army,  for  gallant  and  meritori 
ous  services  at  the  battle  of  Antietam,  Md. 

Brevet  Major  U.  S.  Army,  for  gallant  and  meritorious 
services  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  Penn. 

Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  U.  S.  Army,  for  gallant 
and  meritorious  services  at  the  battle  of  The  Wilder 
ness,  Virginia. 

In  1866,  was  on  duty  at  Camp  Distribution,  near 
Washington,  D.  C. 

In  February,  1867,  ordered  to  proceed  to,  and  take 
command  of.  Fort  Caswell,  N.  C.  While  en  route,  with 


Resignation  of  Officers        129 

troops,  on  steamer  "  Flambeaux,"  was  wrecked  near  the 
mouth  of  Cape  Fear  River. 

Ordered  to,  and  in  command  of,  post  of  Hilton  Head, 
S.  C.,  June,  1868. 

Presented  by  Congress  with  a  medal  of  honor  for 
leading  the  advance  of  his  regiment,  and  the  42d 
New  York,  in  the  charge  made  to  close  the  gap  in 
our  line,  and  repel  Pickett's  assault, 

"The  Congress  to  Lieut.  Col.  Edmund  Eice,  19th  Massa 
chusetts  Volunteers,  for  conspicuous  bravery  on  the  3d  day  of 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg." 

In  the  fierceness  of  this  affair,  the  19th  Massachusetts 
captured  four  stands  of  colors,  and  lost  over  one  half  of 
its  numbers,  killed  and  wounded. 

"  The  conspicuous  gallantry  of  Major  Edmund  Rice, 
of  the  19th  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry,  at  the 
third  day's  battle  of  Gettysburg,  where  he  was  severely 
wounded,  did  more  than  the  single  exertion  of  any  other 
officer  on  our  side  to  retrieve  the  day,  after  the  battle 
had  been  virtually  won  by  Confederates  who  had 
broken  our  lines,  and  were  cheering  and  swinging  their 
hats  on  our  captured  guns. 

"After  the  line  was  broken,  the  19th  dashed  in  and 
placed  themselves  in  the  rear  of  the  break,  and  for 
twelve  minutes  received  the  enemy's  fire,  at  a  distance 
of  less  than  fifteen  paces.  In  that  time  one  man  in 
every  two  of  the  whole  regiment,  and  seven  over,  fell, 
including  Rice,  who  was  shot  in  front  of  his  men, 
with  his  foot  on  the  body  of  a  fallen  Confederate,  he 
being  at  that  time  the  officer  fighting  nearest  to  the 
enemy  in  our  whole  line.  He  fought  till  he  fell.  His 
example  held  them  firm  at  a  great  crisis  in  the  coun 
try's  history.  He  held  Pickett's  heavy  column  in  check 

9 


130      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

with  a  single  thin  line  of  his  regiment,  till  re-enforce 
ments  came  from  right  and  left,  and  thus  saved  the 
day." 

At  the  close  of  the  Columbian  Exposition,  where 
Colonel  Rice  was  in  charge  of  4000  soldiers  and  8G 
regular  officers,  he  received  the  following  letter  : 

WORLD'S  COLUMHIAX  EXPOSITION, 

CHICAGO,  March  15,  1894. 

COL.  EDMUND  KICK,  COMMANDANT,  JACKSON  PAUK  : 

Sill,  —  I  am  in  receipt  of  your  final  Report  of  the 
Guard  and  Secret  Service  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition.  Like  every  part  of  your  work,  this  docu 
ment  is  admirable.  It  is  orderly,  concise,  and  com 
plete.  I  shall  incorporate  it,  just  as  it  is,  in  my  own 
report. 

In  taking  leave  of  you  I  must  again  say  what  I  have 
so  often  felt  and  expressed  by  word  of  mouth. 

Very  soon  after  I  knew  you,  and  from  that  time  on,  I 
placed  the  deepest  confidence  in  you  and  depended  en 
tirely  upon  you.  Through  the  great  trials,  respon 
sibilities,  and  anxieties  of  the  years  we  were  together, 
your  duties  were  always  discharged  with  fidelity,  and 
the  great  interests  placed  in  your  hands  were  conducted 
with  certainty  and  precision.  This  is  very  astonishing, 
when  one  recalls  the  fact  that  }'ou  had  but  little  time 
in  which  to  organize,  and  that  hundreds  of  millions  of 
property,  and  the  welfare  of  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  people  depended  upon  your  skill  and  attention  to 
duty. 

I  can  only  say  that  there  never  was  an  hour  in  which 
you  were  not  so  keenly  alive  to  every  physical  condi- 


Resignation  of  Officers        131 

tion  about  you,  as  to  cause  comments  upon  the  apparent 
absence  of  effort  in  that  direction. 

The  World's  Columbian  Exposition  owes  you  a 
large  debt  of  gratitude,  and  in  its  name  and  my  own, 
I  wish  to  thank  you,  Sir,  for  the  splendid  service  you 
rendered. 

Faithfully  yours, 

[Signed]  1).  II.  BURXHAM, 

Director  of  Works,   World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


132     The  Sixth  Massachusetts 


CHAPTER  VII 

UTUADO 

AFTER  the  landing  of  the  American  troops  at 
Ponce,  the  arrival  of  General  Garretson's 
brigade  from  Guanica  led  the  Spaniards  to  think 
that  there  was  but  one  move  anticipated  or  pos 
sible,  that  being  over  the  military  road  direct  from 
Ponce  to  San  Juan.  Acting  upon  this  supposition, 
they  concentrated  their  forces  at  Aibonito,  a  strong, 
strategical  point  in  the  mountains,  where  they 
mined  the  road  for  several  miles  and  stored  large 
quantities  of  explosives  in  the  wayside  bushes, 
making  every  preparation  for  a  determined  stand 
against  the  advancing  troops. 

Instead  of  attempting  this  move,  General  Miles' s 
inception  for  the  campaign  was  as  follows  :  General 
Brooke  with  a  force  of  twelve  hundred  men  went 
east  by  boat  to  Arroyo,  on  the  south  shore  of  the 
island,  from  which  point  he  was  to  march  north, 
intercepting  the  military  road  between  Aibonito 
and  San  Juan,  thus  cutting  off  the  retreat  of  the 
Spaniards  toward  the  latter  city.  General  Schwan 
marched  northwest  into  the  region  of  Mayaguez, 


Utuado 


'35 


nortli  of  Guanica,  from  which  point  he  was  to  go 
to  Arecibo  and  there  join  General  Henry's  brigade 
in  its  advance  on  San  Juan,  either  by  rail  or  road. 
General  Ernst  with  another  division  marched  out 
over  the  military  road  direct  from  Ponce  towards 
Aibonito  ;  while  General  Garretson's  brigade,  which 


ROAD  FROM  PONCE  TO  HARBOR. 

included  the  6th  Massachusetts,  left  Ponce  on  the 
9th  of  August,  marching  directly  north  towards 
Arecibo  over  a  mountain  trail  that  was  considered 
impassable  for  anything  but  a  native  pony,  and 
through  a  section  of  country  wrhere  we  w^ere  told 
the  English  language  had  never  been  heard. 


136      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

The  march  northward  across  the  island  was 
started  Tuesday  morning  at  8.30,  August  9,  with 
the  2d  battalion  of  the  6th,  under  Major  Priest, 
as  advance  guard. 

The  plaza  in  Ponce  had  been  left  three  hours 
behind  when  the  regiment  was  overtaken  on  the 
road  by  the  new  commander,  Col.  Edmund  Rice, 
accompanied  by  Captain  Edgerton  of  West  Point 
and  J.  N.  Taylor,  correspondent  of  the  "  Globe." 
Marching  had  just  been  resumed  after  a  rest,  when 
the  new  commander  rode  up,  having  made  rather 
slow  progress  after  overtaking  the  bull  train  about 
four  miles  out  of  Ponce. 

The  colonel  was  introduced  by  Captain  Edgerton, 
who  returned  to  Ponce  soon  after.  The  colonel 
rode  ahead,  overtaking  General  Henry  at  the  point 
near  the  first  camp  where  the  good  road  merges 
into  the  bad.  A  mile  from  this  point  is  a  little 
settlement  called  Guaraguaves,  at  the  summit  of 
a  long  hill,  but  nestled  away  itself  in  the  pocket 
formed  by  hills  rising  almost  perpendicularly  for 
five  hundred  to  two  thousand  five  hundred  feet, 
There  was  no  level  ground  for  camp,  so  the  men 
took  to  the  slopes  on  the  side  of  a  hill  which 
was  so  steep  that  braces  were  built  to  keep  them 
from  slipping  down  during  the  night.  To  lie  on 
the  poncho  was  equal  to  sleeping  on  a  toboggan 
slide,  and  in  the  morning  the  men  found  that  they 


COLON KL  EDMUND  RICE. 


Utuado  139 

and  their  belongings  had  parted  company  by  many 
yards. 

It  was  here  that  during  the  night  the  6th 
Illinois  regiment,  camped  near  us,  was  stampeded 
by  the  bulls  running  down  the  hill  through  their 
camp  at  night,  injuring  several  of  them. 

Colonel  Rice  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Ames  took 
the  oath  binding  them  to  duty  as  colonel  and 
lieutenant  colonel  of  the  6th  about  nine  o'clock 
Tuesday  evening.  The  following  morning  our 


A  NATIVE  EXPRESS. 

officers  were  ready  for  a  prompt  start,  but  it  was 
nearly  noon  when  the  6th  Illinois  took  the  lead. 

August  10.  From  this  point  the  road  ceased  to 
be  a  road,  and  we  entered  on  the  trail  which  General 
Stone  had  undertaken  to  make  passable  for  the 


140      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

troops.  To  accomplish  this  a  thousand  natives  had 
been  put  to  work,  who  greeted  us  with  cheers  and 
the  conventional  "  Mericano  mucho  bueno  "  as  they 
stood  aside  for  the  troops  to  pass.  Their  superin 
tendents  each  carried  an  ugly-looking  whip,  which 
they  did  not  hesitate  to  use  on  their  employees  if 
there  was  occasion.  It  was  afterwards  reported 
that  many  of  the  best  men  had  been  transferred 


"  DUTCH  YOKE." 

from  the  work  on  the  pass,  and  that  the  govern 
ment  had  paid  them  for  working  on  the  plantations 
of  the  superintendents. 

The  day's  march  took  the  regiment  to  the  plan 
tation  of  Pouvenir,  after  having  marched  the 
entire  afternoon  through  a  pouring  rain,  and  ended 
the  day  by  fording  greatly  swollen  streams.  As  an 


Utuado 


141 


attack  was  considered  possible  at  any  time,  the 
men  had  been  sent  in  light  marching  order,  their 
rolls  being  carried  by  the  ox  teams  in  the  rear  of 
the  column. 

The  wagons  went  heavily  loaded,  and  as  the 
regiment  did  not  have  its  full  quota  of  these,  it 
was  necessary  to  economize  weight.  That  Captain 
Ham  was  conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  his 


"A  PORTO  RICAN  PICNIC." 

duties,  no  one  will  doubt,  and  he  will  be  remem 
bered  unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation.  One 
day  a  parrot  which  one  of  the  men  had  carried 
many  days  was  allowed  to  perch  on  top  of  one  of 
the  wagons,  until  the  Captain  espied  it,  when,  as 
there  could  be  no  extra  weight  carried,  he  told  the 
parrot  to  get  off  its  perch.  The  parrot  said,  "  Get 


142      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

to—  -!"  then,  as  if  having  forgotten  it  was  not 
speaking  to  a  private,  began  speaking  so  rapidly 
in  Spanish  it  was  impossible  to  follow  it. 

When  night  fell,  the  men  were  camped  without 
cover  or  protection  of  any  kind  at  the  plantation, 
the  teams  containing  rolls  and  all  provisions  being 
far  in  the  rear  and  unable,  owing  to  the  bad  con 
dition  of  the  roads,  to  reach  the  camp  that  night. 
Different  companies  managed  to  start  fires  about 
which  they  spent  the  night,  where  at  eleven  o'clock 
volunteers  who  had  returned  for  coffee  arrived 
with  a  sufficient  quantity  to  give  the  respective 
companies  that  comfort,  which  was  their  only 
supper. 

This  was  without  exception  the  worst  night  spent 
by  the  regiment  during  the  summer.  About  mid 
night  a  coal-bin  under  headquarters  was  discov 
ered,  which  had  been  overlooked  by  the  men  in 
their  search  for  shelter.  Four  soldiers,  three  of 
whom  were  Harvard  men,  crawled  into  the  char 
coal  and  there  spent  the  night,  which  one  of  them 
described  as  being  comparatively  the  most  com 
fortable  night  he  had  ever  spent,  the  charcoal 
absorbing  the  water  from  their  clothing  and  ena 
bling  them  to  lie  clown. 

If  the  college  men,  of  whom  we  had  an  unusu- 
allv  large  proportion,  lacked  the  muscle  with  which 
their  stronger  brothers  were  blessed,  they  made  up 


Utuado  143 

for  it  in  determination  and  grit.     Of  this  march, 
Roy  Martin  wrote  :  - 

"  There  is  not  a  general  who  will  not  say  a  good  word 
about  the  dude  soldiers.  Gentlemen  cannot  afford  to 
do  their  work  poorly.  One  day,  after  a  hard  day's  march 
beyond  Adjuntas,  when  the  men  were  hungry,  tired,  and 
soaked  to  the  skin,  a  major  asked  for  volunteers  to  go 
back  after  enough  food  to  refresh  the  men.  This  was 
in  a  regiment  not  known  as  a  dude  regiment.  Five 
men  volunteered,  and  a  weary  set  of  men  they  were,  too. 
Four  of  them  were  graduates  of  Harvard  and  the  other 
was  a  graduate  of  Technology.  They  were  dudes. 
Whenever  hereafter  I  hear  a  Socialist  on  Boston  Com 
mon  damning  all  wealthy  persons,  I  shall  feel  like  ask 
ing  him  what  he  was  doing  while  so  many  of  the 
American  dudes  were  cleaning  the  guns,  watering  the 
mules,  and  eating  hardtack  in  Porto  Rico. 

"  The  spirit  of  such  soldiers  is  inspiring.  They  neither 
boast  of  themselves  nor  underrate  their  enemies,  but  I 
never  doubted  for  an  instant  that  if  General  Wilson 
ordered  the  men  to  charge  on  Aibonito  Pass,  as  it  was 
expected  he  would,  not  a  dude  soldier  would  have 
flinched,  though  death  would  have  claimed  all  who  went 
first.  I  never  doubted,  either,  that  if  he  had  called  for 
volunteers  every  one  would  have  instantly  reported  him 
self  as  ready  and  anxious  for  the  opportunity  to  do  or 
die." 

One  company  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  find 
shelter  under  an  old  shed,  where  during  the  night 
a  big  tarantula  crawled  across  a  man's  face  and 
wakened  him.  He  screamed  and  started  to  run, 


144      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

awakening  the  others  who  were  near  him.  They 
all  ran  out  of  the  shed,  crawling  over  the  men 
outside,  and  started  a  stampede  which  did  not  end 
short  of  the  river,  twenty  feet  belowr,  when  the 
men  became  sufficiently  awakened  to  realize  it  was 
not  a  Spaniard. 

A  large  pigeon-cote  was  the  only  visible  market, 
and  this  was  patronized  so  constantly  during  the 
night  that  nothing  but  patches  of  feathers  about 
the  ground  the  following  morning  told  of  a  "  cote 
to  let." 

During  the  night  the  horse  of  one  of  the  officers 
fell  over  the  embankment  in  the  rear  of  head 
quarters  and  broke  his  neck. 

August  11.  The  following  morning  the  regiment 
pushed  on  to  the  top  of  the  divide  over  a  road  of 
wet  clay,  reaching  the  summit  of  the  mountain, 
from  which  the  harbor  of  Ponce  was  plainly  visible, 
and  from  a  point  a  short  distance  beyond,  the  sea 
on  the  north  side  of  the  island  could  be  seen,  the 
day's  march  ending  at  Ad  juntas  at  3  p.  M.,  where 
another  terrible  night  wras  spent  in  mud  and  rain. 

August  12.  The  regiment  remained  in  camp  at 
Adjuntas,  with  heavy  rains  all  day.  Rumors  of 
the  enemy's  depredations,  most  of  them  false  or 
misleading,  were  being  received  every  hour.  Peace 
rumors  were  also  in  circulation,  and  there  was 
much  restlessness  under  the  restraint  of  slow  march- 


Utuado  145 

ing.  Late  Thursday  afternoon,  August  12,  reports 
of  General  Schwan's  engagement  with  the  enemy 
near  Hormigueros  the  day  before  reached  camp, 
making  everybody  wish  for  an  advance.  Late 
that  evening,  when  eight  companies  of  the  6th 
Massachusetts  were  ordered  forward,  there  were 
pleasant  anticipations  as  to  what  the  morrow 
might  bring  forth. 

August  13.  Dawn  was  greeted  by  reveille,  and 
before  eight  o'clock,  Colonel  Rice  had  left  with 
Companies  A,  H,  G,  and  C  of  Captain  Gihon's 
battalion  and  I,  D,  L,  and  M  of  Major  Priest's 
command.  Three  days'  rations  and  one  hundred 
rounds  of  ammunition  were  given  each  man,  while 
a  mule  pack-train  with  five  days'  rations  and  extra 
ammunition  followed.  Major  Darling's  battalion 
and  the  whole  of  the  6th  Illinois  regiment  was  left 
in  Adjuntas  to  guard  the  town  and  bring  up  sup 
plies.  There  was  no  delay  on  this  march,  as  the 
men  expected  to  see  Spaniards.  Four  companies 
of  the  19th  were  to  be  picked  up  at  Utuado,  and 
Arecibo  would  have  been  made  in  another  day. 

The  march  to  Utuado,  of  eighteen  miles,  which 
had  been  considered  a  two  days'  journey,  was 
made  without  great  exertion  in  one  day,  when 
Gen.  Guy  N.  Henry  said  to  the  men  of  the  6th 
and  Colonel  Rice  :  "  You  are  doing  splendidly ; 

not  a  man  has  straggled  unless  he  was  actually 

10 


146      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

prostrated  by  the  sun  —  ten  times  as  many  men 
of  the  6th  Illinois  have  fallen  out." 

From  Adjimtas  to  Utuaclo  he  said  to  Colonel 
Rice,  "  Take  it  easy  and  stop  half  way  for  the 
night."  The  regiment  went  through  in  one  day, 
and  on  arrival  at  Utuado  he  said,  "  Boys,  you  did 
better  than  the  regulars." 

On  our  arrival  we  were  told  of  the  signing  of 
the  protocol,  and  instead  of  pushing  on  toward 
Arecibo,  as  was  expected,  we  were  to  go  into  camp 
indefinitely.  We  marched  by  the  town  underneath 
the  walls  of  the  village  cemetery,  which  were  punc 
tured  by  portholes  made  by  the  Spanish  soldiers  for 
our  reception,  and  camped  in  an  old  sugar-cane  field 
on  the  banks  of  a  river,  which  in  another  season 
of  the  year  would  have  been  an  excellent  location. 
But  it  was  the  beginning  of  the  rainy  season,  and 
the  first  downpour  turned  the  camp  into  a  mire. 
Day  after  day  the  rains  continued  until  the  ground, 
which  absorbed  water  like  a  sponge,  was  thoroughly 
saturated.  When  the  sun  shone,  as  it  did  a  part 
of  each  day,  it  was  only  to  cause  a  vapor  to  rise 
from  the  mire  and  hasten  the  decay  of  the  rank 
vegetation  which  had  been  trampled  into  the  mud. 
Drains  were  dug  which  did  not  drain  but  which 
increased  the  foul  odors  from  freshly-turned  soil. 
On  every  opportunity  all  articles  of  clothing  and 
blankets  would  be  exposed  to  the  sun,  only  to  be 


Utuado  147 

saturated  again  with  rain  before  night.  There  was 
no  flooring  for  the  tents,  the  men  being  obliged  to 
sleep  for  nearly  two  weeks  on  this  wet  ground  with 
nothing  but  their  blankets  for  protection,  until  the 
increasing  length  of  the  line  which  answered  sick  call 
each  morning  warned  officials  that  a  change  must 
be  made.  For  the  first  time  since  leaving  Camp 
Alger  the  spirits  of  the  men  were  broken.  Singing 
and  all  forms  of  camp  amusements  which  furnished 
their  daily  entertainment  were  broken  off,  and  when 
night  fell,  a  gloom  and  stillness  pervaded  the  camp 
that  meant  despair  in  the  hearts  of  the  men.  The 
bugle  calls  could  no  longer  sound  the  challenge 
either  of  '•  Good  boy,  Donivan"  or  the  equally 
familiar  invitation  to  "  Go  out  in  the  woods," 
the  absence  of  which  calls  was  more  significant 
of  the  state  of  mind  of  the  men  than  could  be 
told  in  volumes. 

Food  was  scarce,  and  what  there  was  had  to  be 
cooked  in  the  insufficient  utensils  it  had  been 
possible  to  carry,  without  cover  of  any  kind  for  a 
cook  house.  As  it  rained  invariably  at  meal  time 
there  were  no  complaints  of  the  soup  or  the  coffee 
being  too  strong. 

August  15.  The  band,  two  ambulances,  and 
some  pack-mules  arrived  from  Adjuntas,  and  out 
posts  were  established  about  four  miles  out  on  the 
Arecibo  road.  The  band  was  quartered  in  a  shed 


148      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

where  they  were  able  to  continue  practice  regard 
less  of  the  rain. 

August  16.  Major  Darling  with  Companies  E, 
K,  and  B  arrived  from  Adjuntas,  together  with  the 
6th  Illinois,  Company  F  being  left  there  on  provost 
duty  until  the  20th. 

August  17.  Continuous  rain  during  the  past 
two  clays.  An  outpost  was  established  on  the 
Lares  road,  the  6th  Illinois  alternating  with  our 
regiment. 

As  there  seemed  to  be  no  immediate  prospect  of 
getting  on  to  Arecibo  or  receiving  supplies  from 
that  direction,  seventy  bull-teams  were  sent  back 
to  Ponce  for  supplies. 

The  noise  attendant  on  the  arrival  of  such  a 
train  is  peculiar  to  nothing  else.  The  creaking  of 
the  heavy,  clumsy,  overloaded  carts,  the  nasal 
tones  of  the  excited  drivers  yelling  "  Weis,"  and 
other  like  words,  the  prodding  of  the  tired  animals, 
created  an  excitement  equal  to  the  arrival  of  a 
circus  in  a  country  town. 

Mr.  Dwight  L.  Rogers  wrote  from  Utuado, 
August  20th:- 

"This  place  is  in  a  valley  among  the  hills.  Our 
camp  is  situated  011  what  we  are  told  is  the  River  of 
Life,  a  stream  which  at  this  season  runs  torpid  and 
swollen  with  the  rains.  We  hope  we  shall  not  have 
to  stay  long  on  this  ground,  as  the  mud  is  terrible. 


Utuado  149 

Thus  far  I  have  kept  fairly  dry,  except  my  feet,  which 
are  soaked  all  the  time.  Some  of  the  men  tell  me  they 
have  not  been  dry,  day  or  night,  for  over  a  week.  Thus 
far,  however,  they  seem  to  be  standing  the  exposure 
well.  I  am  still  messing  with  Company  I,  and  find  the 
Concord  boys  a  fine  lot  of  fellows.  Our  soldiers  were 
glad  to  enlist,  and  as  long  as  there  is  need  they  are  will 
ing  to  do  their  duty,  but  if  the  war  is  over  they  are 
exceedingly  anxious  to  go  home. 

"  The  boys,  as  I  have  said,  appreciate  any  little  thing 
the  Association  can  do  for  them.  Hardly  a  day  passes 
but  what  some  of  the  Fitchburg  boys  tell  what  a  great 
send-off  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  gave  them  when  they  came 
away  from  there,  and  others  I  often  hear  say,  '  I  am 
going  to  join  the  Association  as  soon  as  I  get  back.' 
The  boys  who  left  school  are  now  anxious  to  be  back 
in  time  to  start  the  year  with  their  classes." 

On  Sunday  service  was  to  have  been  held  as 
usual  by  Mr.  Rogers  at  ten  o'clock,  but,  owing  to 
a  misunderstanding  with  the  band  and  their  not 
arriving  at  that  hour,  it  was  postponed  until  four 
o'clock.  The  colonel,  being  engaged  and  not 
knowing  of  the  postponement,  walked  out  in  front 
of  his  tent  and  saw  what  he  supposed  to  be  the 
"congregation"  assembled  at  one  corner  of  the 
camp.  He  was  not  aware  of  the  presence  of  two 
"  mascots"  in  the  form  of  fighting  pups,  or  of  the 
tendency  of  these  animals  to  meet  on  Sunday. 

"  Orderly,"  he  called  to  the  young  man  outside 
his  tent.  "  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  orderly,  saluting. 


150      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

"Is  that  the  church  service  taking  place  over 
there?"  "No,  sir;  that  is  a  dog  fight/'  replied 
the  orderly,  saluting  again.  The  shock  to  the 
colonel  was  only  apparent  to  those  who  saw  him 
when  he  quietly  turned  and  walked  into  Major 
Darling's  tent,  where  he  sat  on  a  cot  and  laughed 


NATIVES  BATHING  AT  k']\IuD  HOLE." 

until  the  perspiration  ran  down  his  sun-burned  face 
in  drops  as  large  as  coffee  berries. 

One  comfort  we  did  have,  and  that  was  good 
bathing  facilities.  If  we  got  baths  unexpectedly 
and  without  our  consent  occasionally,  it  was  made 
up  for  by  the  comfort  of  having  a  bath  each  day. 
Without  exception  each  camp  the  regiment  had  in 
Porto  Rico  was  near  water  where  we  were  not  only 
able  to  have  a  daily  bath  but  to  wash  our  clothing 


Utuado  153 

as  well.  Some  idea  of  the  heat  of  the  sun  may  be 
gained  from  this.  The  men  would  wash  their 
canvas  suits,  leggings,  etc.,  and  spread  them  on 
the  rocks  to  dry  while  they  took  a  plunge.  At 
the  end  of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  everything 
would  be  perfectly  dry  and  warm.  Thanks  to  the 
laundry  facilities,  the  danger  of  clothing  becoming 
inhabited  was  almost  entirely  averted,  the  excep 
tional  cases  being  usually  due  to  the  neglect  of  the 
individual. 

August  22.  Colonel  Rice  left  for  Ponce  with  his 
orderly  to  obtain  permission  to  move  the  men  into 
barracks  in  town,  as  there  seemed  to  be  no  immedi 
ate  prospect  of  our  moving  on  to  Arecibo. 

August  24.  Company  E  was  detailed  for  pro 
vost  duty  in  town.  The  same  day  a  telegram 
arrived  from  Colonel  Rice  ordering  the  regiment  to 
break  camp  and  go  into  town,  occupying  in  part 
the  quarters  vacated  by  the  four  companies  of  the 
19th  infantry,  who  with  General  Henry  and  staff 
had  left  for  Ponce. 

Coffee  warehouses  and  one  school-house  were 
called  into  requisition,  which  gave  the  men  dry 
quarters  and  good  cooking  houses,  even  if  they 
were  crowded  and  the  buildings  were  infested 
with  the  ubiquitous  flea.  While  supplies  were  still 
limited  in  quantity  and  variety,  as  they  had  to  be 
brought  by  pack-mules  over  the  mountain  trail 


154      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

from  Ponce,  there  was  a  decided  improvement  in 
rations  which  was  helped  out  by  the  local  market, 
although  the  scarcity  of  money  in  the  regiment 
made  this  of  comparatively  small  benefit. 

Lieutenant  Hart  left  on  the  23d,  called  home  by 
sickness  in  his  family. 

UTUADO,  August  24,  1898. 

The  greatest  enemy  the  boys  have  had  to  deal  \vith  is 
mud,  and  in  some  of  the  roads  it  was  anywhere  from  one 
to  ten  inches  deep,  with  the  sticking  tendency  greater 
than  an}-  found  in  old  Virginia. 

Perhaps  you  have  read  about  how  we  lost  our  colonel, 
lieutenant  colonel,  major,  chaplain,  and  a  few  other 
officers  of  the  regiment.  There  is  not  one  of  us  that 
knows  the  true  reason  of  their  retirement,  but  there  are 
lots  of  rumors  in  the  air  about  it.  Well,  we  have  a 
regular  army  officer  as  our  colonel  now,  and  best  of  all, 
he  is  a  Massachusetts  man.  Since  he  took  charge  of 
the  regiment  we  have  fared  a  good  deal  better  than  we 
have  since  we  enlisted.  In  anything  that  pertains  to 
our  duty  he  is  very  strict,  but  when  off  duty  we  can 
enjoy  ourselves  to  the  best  of  our  ability. 

There  are  so  many  sick  on  account  of  our  last  camp 
that  we  have  been  moved  into  barracks,  an  old  unoccu 
pied  storehouse  in  nice  condition,  with  plenty  of  air, 
whitewashed,  and  with  hard  cement  floors  which  we 
call  our  bed.  Night  before  last  I  hung  up  a  hammock 
made  by  tying  up  the  ends  of  my  half  of  the  tent.  As 
true  as  I  am  here  I  could  not  sleep,  being  used  to  hard 
surfaces.  Finally  I  gave  it  up  and  went  on  to  the  floor, 
where  I  slept  as  sound  as  a  log. 

This  morning,  which  is  a  good  example  of  our  daily 


Utuado  155 

routine,  was  spent  as  follows :  Roll  call  5.15,  breakfast 
5.30  to  6.30,  consisting  of  bean  soup,  one  half  cup  to  a 
man,  with  five  hardtacks.  The  boys  have  offered  a 
reward  to  the  one  finding  a  bean  in  his  soup.  This  is 
followed  by  one  drill  in  the  morning  that  lasts  about 
one  hour.  Dinner  at  12  noon,  which  consists  of  one 
half  cup  of  rice,  a  little  sugar,  and  five  tacks.  One  drill 
in  the  afternoon  lasting  one  hour.  Retreat,  lowering 


THE  SOLDIERS'  CEMETERY,  UTUADO. 

the  colors,  and  roll  call  at  5.15.  Supper  at  six  consists 
of  one  piece  of  bacon,  five  tacks,  and  one  cup  of  coffee. 
Five  funerals  of  the  natives  have  passed  our  barracks 
to-day,  and  an  odd  sight  they  were,  too.  They  have  no 
procession  except  when  a  wealthy  person  dies ;  then 
there  is  a  very  small  one.  The  only  procession  the 
common  folks  have  is  the  pall  bearers.  The  coffin,  or 
rather  box,  is  strapped  with  two  long  pieces  of  bamboo, 
and  is  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  the  pall  bearers,  and 
has  no  lid.  When  they  reach  the  cemetery  they  take 


156      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

the  corpse  out  of  the  coffin  and  place  it  in  a  small  tomb, 
put  a  shovel  of  earth  011  it,  and  let  it  remain  there  until 
the  worms  eat  the  flesh  from  the  bones ;  then  they  take 
the  bones  out  and  pile  them  up  in  the  corner  and  put 
another  body  in  the  hole.  The  wealthier  class  have  a 
common  black  coffin  like  ours  and  are  buried  in  it  and 
never  removed.  I  saw  three  corpses  yesterday  of  vic 
tims  of  starvation.  They  were  children  of  about  five  to 
ten  years  of  age  and  their  throats  were  very  little  bigger 
than  my  two  fingers.  It  was  a  frightful  sight.  The 
cemetery  here  has  a  high  thick  wall  around  it,  and  the 
Spaniards  have  cut  little  portholes  in  it  and  use  them 
as  a  sort  of  breastwork  or  fort.1 

August  28.  Dr.  Washburn,  Lieutenant  Sweetser, 
and  J.  N.  Taylor  of  the  "  Globe "  went  through 
to  Arecibo  under  the  protection  of  a  pillow  case, 
which  was  adapted  for  a  white  flag,  and  got  permis 
sion  to  transport  hospital  supplies  through  the  city 
which  had  been  sent  from  Ponce  on  the  "Alamo." 
The  commandante  was  most  courteous  in  his  re 
ception  of  the  detail  and  had  a  squad  of  his  own 
men  assist  in  starting  the  stores  on  the  way  to 
Utuado,  including  stores  and  clothing  sent  by  Colo 
nel  Rice  from  Ponce. 

The  6 tli  Illinois  with  General  Garretson  and 
staff  left  at  8  A.M.  for  the  States  to  be  mustered 
out.  A  gloom  was  cast  over  the  camp  by  the  sad 
death  of  one  of  the  6th  Illinois  men  in  the  hospital, 

1  Quoted  from  a  letter  of  a  member  of  Company  B. 


FREDERIC  A.  WASHBURX. 

First  Lieutenant  and  Assistant  Surgeon. 


Utuado  159 

supposed  to  be  clue  to  melancholia  at  being  left 
behind  by  his  regiment. 

August  31.  This  was  a  red-letter  day,  as  mail 
arrived  from  home,  and  the  clothing  for  the  men 
came  as  a  result  of  one  of  the  first  orders  given  by 
Colonel  Rice  to  have  the  entire  regiment  fitted  out 
with  new  uniforms,  shoes,  and  hats,  as  the  men 
were  fast  reaching  the  condition  of  Gunga  Din, 
when  — 

"  The  uniform  he  wore, 
Was  nothing  much  before 
An'  rather  less  than  'arf  o'  that  be'ind." 

They  had  become  literally  "  hobos  "  in  appearance 
and  were  so  entirely  uncomfortable  when  the  new 
suits  arrived  that  no  one  would  venture  out  so 
"dressed  up"  until  the  regiment  was  ordered  to 
appear  for  parade. 

Extract  from  a  private's  diary. 

Monday  —  Breakfast,  tomato  soup,  hardtack,  and 
coffee  ;  dinner  and  supper,  the  same. 

Tuesday  —  For  each  meal,  two  hardtack,  tomato 
soup,  small  piece  of  bread. 

Wednesday  —  For  breakfast  and  dinner,  tomato 
soup,  coffee,  two  hardtack,  and  bread ;  for  supper 
the  following  extras  were  served  :  two  small  pieces 
of  corn  bread,  two  inches  square,  with  some  sirup, 
one  spoonful  of  scrambled  eggs,  half  water,  one 
handful  of  oyster  crackers,  tomato  soup,  and  coffee. 


160      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

Thursday  and  Friday  —  Tomato  soup,  hardtack, 
and  coft'ee  again,  with  a  little  corn  bread  on 
Friday. 

Sept.  1.  Private  A.  S.  Cushman  of  Company  A, 
who  was  in  charge  of  the  pioneer  corps,  received  a 
commission  as  captain  of  subsistence  and  left  at 
once  for  the  States  by  way  of  Ponce. 

Sept.  2.  The  quartermaster  issued  the  much 
needed  clothing  to  the  men. 

No  history  of  the  regiment  in  Porto  Rico  would 
be  complete  were  the  name  of  Mrs.  Rice,  the  wife 
of  the  colonel,  omitted.  On  the  2d  of  September, 
Colonel  Rice  arrived  from  Ponce,  accompanied  by 
Mrs.  Rice,  having  crossed  the  trail  so  recently 
considered  impassable  in  General  Miles' s  carriage, 
Mrs.  Rice  being  the  first  English  woman,  so  far  as 
known,  to  have  been  in  that  part  of  the  island. 

The  day  after  her  arrival  she  visited  the  hospital, 
and  from  that  time  until  her  departure,  her  entire 
strength  and  energies  were  given  to  our  sick  men. 
All  the  attentions  possible  in  the  power  of  one 
woman,  of  personal  exertion  and  suggestion  com 
bined,  were  given  to  the  hospitals.  She  remained 
in  Utuado  until  the  regiment  left  lor  Arecibo, 
where  she  went  together  with  Miss  Gait  and  Miss 
Parsons,  being  obliged  to  make  the  journey  over 
the  mountain  trail  in  the  saddle  owing  to  the 
rivers  being  impassable. 


MRS.  COLONEL  RICE. 


11 


Utuado 


163 


Her  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  the  welfare  of 
the  men  has  endeared  her  name  to  every  man  who 
knew  her  in  the  hospitals,  and  has  given  to  all  a 
memory  and  respect  of  an  American  woman  the 


HEAVY  MARCHING  ORDER  INSPECTION. 

mention  of  whose  name  is  the  signal  for  the 
doffing  of  the  regimental  hat. 

Occasional  miscalculations  were  made  in  the  judg 
ment  of  officials,  as  when,  one  of  the  wagon  wheels 
having  broken  down  going  over  the  mountain,  Lieu 
tenant  said  he  could  duplicate  it  easily,  as 

there  was  another  wagon  of  the  same  make  in  camp. 
As  the  roads  were  in  a  terrible  condition  and  there 
were  no  available  teams  by  which  to  send  the  wheel 
out,  the  colonel  told  two  of  the  prisoners  proper 


164      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

allowance  would  be  made  in  their  punishment,  if 
they  wished  to  roll  the  wheel  out  and  substitute 
it  for  the  broken  one.  They  gladly  undertook  the 
mission,  and  they  earned  all  they  got  in  rebate,  for 
the  roads  were  deep  with  niud  and  it  was  up  the 
mountains  most  of  the  way.  After  hours  of  weary 
climbing  the  prisoners  arrived  totally  exhausted 
with  the  wheel,  and  found  that,  while  the  wheel 
was  the  same  make,  Lieutenant-  -,  like  the 
tailor  who  cut  off  the  wrong  leg  of  the  trousers 
for  the  one-legged  man,  had  sent  the  front  wheel 
instead  of  the  hind  one. 

Lieut,  Thomas  Talbot  arrived  from  Ponce,  having 
been  to  Cuba  and  returned  to  the  United  States  in 
trying  to  reach  the  regiment.  On  arrival  he  was 
assigned  to  Company  M,  being  later  transferred  to 
Company  E. 

September  5.  First  Lieut.  Clarence  W.  Coolidge 
of  Company  E  was  appointed  adjutant,  vice  Lieut. 
F.  E.  Gray,  while  owing  to  the  absence  of  Lieu 
tenant  Hart,  Lieut.  George  W.  Braxton  of  Com 
pany  L  was  appointed  acting  ordnance  officer. 

UTUADO,  Sept,  6,  1898. 

How  about  our  own  regiment?  The  spirits  of  the 
men  have  improved  a  little  since  they  have  gotten  under 
cover,  but  this  is  not  child's  play  here.  Night  after 
night  there  are  men  going  to  sleep  hungry.  United 
States  soldiers  going  to  sleep  hungry!  It  is  a  sad 
thought.  Do  the  officials  deny  it?  If  they  do,  they 


Utuado  165 


misrepresent  the  facts.  Quantity  and  quality  of  food 
are  both  plain.  The  officers  often  fail  to  realize  what 
differences  there  are  between  the  fare  of  the  enlisted 
men  and  what  they  have.  I  have  messed  with  both  a 
great  deal,  and  I  have  never  yet  found  an  officer's  mess 
without  a  number  of  delicacies  privates  lack.  If  the 
men  had  a  little  spending  money  to  get  a  pineapple  or 
an  orange  or  a  piece  of  bread  now  and  then,  it  would 
make  eating  less  mechanical. 

u  The  troops  have  been  paid  promptly,"  says  Wash 
ington.  Perhaps  those  at  home  have.  But  not  a  cent 
has  been  paid  to  a  volunteer  in  Porto  Rico.  I  have 
taken  the  pains  to  find  the  truth  in  this  matter.  If 
there  has  been  a  paymaster  on  this  island  he  has  not 
presented  himself  at  headquarters  yet.  Is  Porto  Rico 
on  the  maps  at  Washington?  "There  is  too  much 
criticism  of  the  War  Department,"  says  the  reader, 
perhaps.  But  when  men  give  up  business  and  home 
and  everything  else  to  do  soldier's  duty  in  August  in 
the  tropics,  they  ought  to  have  hundreds  of  things  our 
soldiers  lack.  Where  are  the  thin  clothes  ?  Where  are 
the  shoes?  Where  are  the  sheets  for  the  hospitals? 
Where  are  the  postmasters?  Where  are  the  nurses? 
Where  are  the  indications  that  somebody  realizes  the 
dangers  of  this  climate  and  the  hardships  of  a  soldier's 
life? 

I  am  afraid  if  the  6th  Massachusetts  should  march  up 
Beacon  Hill  to-day  those  who  looked  at  the  faces  of 
these  men  would  be  shocked.  The  tan  does  not  obscure 
the  traces  of  rough  usage.  The  look  of  patience  does 
not  obliterate  the  marks  of  hardship. 

"  It  will  be  different  when  we  get  to  Arecibo,"  runs 
the  general  current  of  camp  talk. 

FREDERICK  ROY  MARTIN. 


1 66      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

Twice  a  day  the  companies  were  drilled,  and  a 
range  of  two  hundred  yards  having  been  estab 
lished,  squads  were  taken  out  regularly  to  practise 
with  the  new  rifle.  The  days  after  drill  were 
spent  almost  entirely  in  quarters.  Even  the  men 
who  were  considered  well  had  lost  all  superfluous 
energy  and  strength,  and  were  glad  to  be  quiet 
when  possible.  Magazines  and  papers  were  once 
more  arriving  and  were  eagerly  welcomed  by  the 
men.  The  stillness  of  the  hot  hours  of  the  day 
was  broken  only  by  the  little  natives  whirling 
carelessly  the  well-balanced  boxes  of  candy  on  their 
heads,  and  singing  their  "  Dulce  Mericano "  in 
a  musical  voice,  which  you  soon  learned  as  they 
grew  older  would  take  the  sharp  nasal  twang  of 
their  parents. 

Early  morning  would  find  a  number  of  men 
patrolling  the  market-place  ready  to  seize  a  stray 
egg  at  "  Cinco  centavos, "  as  one  or  two  material 
ized  from  the  mosaic  of  vegetables  done  up  in  a 
native's  handkerchief,  or  with  a  tin  cup  waiting 
for  the  cow  to  be  driven  in  to  buy  their  pint  of 
milk.  These  were  luxuries,  however,  which  few 
could  aiford  until  after  the  paymaster  arrived  the 
third  of  October. 

The  band,  which  had  literally  "played  out"  on 
the  marches  with  the  other  men,  immediately  on 
its  arrival  at  Utuado,  when  it  was  fortunate 


Utuado  167 

enough  to  be  under  cover  in  a  sugar-house,  began 
systematic  practice,  with  the  most  gratifying 
results.  The  improvement  was  remarked  by 
every  one,  and  by  the  time  the  regiment  had  recu 
perated  sufficiently  to  have  parade  in  town,  the 


1 
UTUADO  MARKET  SCENE. 

band  played  with  a  brilliancy  we  had  not  before 
heard. 

The  bugle  corps  were  called  into  service,  and 
were  truly  a  credit  to  themselves  and  the 
regiment. 

When  the  band  gave  an  evening  concert  in  the 
Plaza,  the  entire  population  would  congregate 
there,  and  furnish  such  contrasts  as  can  only  be 
described  by  children  dressed  "  only  in  a  smile " 
promenading  between  the  young  society  girls,  who 


1 68      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

in  their  bright  colored  and  smart  city  gowns,  under 
the  glare  of  the  up-to-date  electric  lights,  were 
quite  willing  to  be  admired  and  to  show  their 
degree  of  civilization  in  their  liking  for  uniforms. 

September  S.     Last  night  a  member  of  Company 
I  had  a  nightmare   and   gave  vent  to   the   most 


GOING  TO  THE  CONCERT. 

frightful  yell  ever  heard,  so  that  the  men  sleep 
ing  near  him  were  sure  the  "  Black  Hand  "  were 
murdering  some  one  of  them,  when  they  yelled 
and  started  a  stampede,  which  ended  outside  the 
building. 

Lieutenant    La  Croix  arrived  last    night   from 


Utuado  169 

Ponce  with  teams  bringing  the  rifles,  ammunition, 
and  other  supplies  which  had  been  left  behind. 

September  10.  Regimental  inspection  was  held 
at  9  A.  M.  by  Colonel  Rice. 

September  11.  Major  Darling  arrived  with  ten 
teams,  bringing  clothing  and  medical  supplies  from 
Ponce. 

The  game  of  leap  frog,  which  the  men  used  to 
play  evenings,  or  for  exercise  in  the  mornings, 
afforded  the  natives  great  amusement,  and  intro 
duced  a  new  sport  to  the  boys. 

After  nearly  two  months  the  6th  had  been  held 
in  Utuado,  while  the  Spanish  occupied  Arecibo, 
and  although  many  interchanges  of  courtesies  had 
taken  place  and  the  Spanish  commandante  had 
shown  himself  most  accommodating  in  the  matter 
of  permitting  the  passage  of  hospital  supplies  and 
sick  through  his  lines,  it  was  not  until  well  along 
in  September  that  rations  and  other  necessities  had 
come  in  other  than  by  the  long,  hard  road  to 
Ponce,  often  impassable  by  reason  of  heavy  land 
slides. 

September  15.  Mail  arrived  at  noon,  and  eve 
ning  parade  was  reviewed  by  Colonel  Rice  in  front 
of  the  church. 

A  telegram  was  received  by  the  colonel  from 
General  Henry,  commanding  at  Ponce  :  "  Have  five 
companies  prepared  to  move  to  places  to  be  vacated 


i  jo      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

by  Spanish  troops  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Porto 
Rico.  Places  to  which  they  will  have  to  go  and 
time  they  will  have  to  reach  them  will  be  com 
municated  later." 

The  "  Bay  State "  arrived  in  Ponce  on  the 
14th,  and  on  the  16th  Dr.  Crockett  rode  into 
camp  on  a  cavalry  horse  loaned  by  General  Henry. 
There  was  much  speculation  about  the  home  trip 
of  the  sick,  as  one  hundred  was  the  limit  of  the 
ship's  capacity,  but  twice  that  number  were  unfit 
for  duty  and  anxious  to  go.  Dr.  Burrell,  after 
learning  of  the  condition  of  the  roads,  decided  to 
sail  around  to  Arecibo,  in  which  port  the  "Bay 
State"  anchored  late  on  the  afternoon  of  the  19th. 
At  seven  the  next  morning  eighteen  wagons  loaded 
with  sick  were  started  for  Arecibo,  with  Dr.  Crockett 
in  charge,  arriving  without  incident,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  22d  the  ship  sailed  for  Boston. 

September  18.  The  improved  condition  of  the 
regiment  was  noticeable  in  its  entire  life  to  its  own 
members,  and  that  it  was  so  to  others  is  testified 
by  the  following  words  from  a  member  of  the  staff 
of  General  Brooke  :  — 

"  The  neatness  of  the  men  on  duty,  evidence  of  mili 
tary  system,  good  behavior  of  the  men  on  the  street,  and 
tone  of  the  command  is  like  that  of  a  regiment  of 
regulars,  and  there  exists  an  esprit  among  the  officers 
and  men  and  a  devotion  to  the  colonel  which  I  have 
not  seen  in  other  volunteer  commands." 


Utuado  171 

On  the  IStli  Lieutenant  Colonel  Ames  was 
placed  in  charge  of  civil  affairs,  and  Company  C 
of  the  6th  was  sent  to  Lares  to  relieve  the  Spanish 
garrison  and  guard  plantations  thereabouts.  Details 
of  from  two  to  ten  men  were  guarding  property 
for  thirty  miles  around. 

September  19.  One  company  of  the  1st  Ken 
tucky  (mounted)  had  been  added  to  the  Utuado 
garrison,  ninety-two  sturdy-looking  soldiers  from 
the  blue-grass  State  having  ridden  in  to  report  for 
duty  to  Colonel  Rice.  Reports  of  depredations  by 
the  "  Black  Hand,"  an  organization  of  desperadoes 
and  robbers,  were  coming  with  telegraphic  rapidity. 
The  jail  in  Utuado  was  full  of  offenders,  but  that 
kind  of  punishment  had  no  terrors  for  them. 

September  22.  Considering  the  opportunities 
offered  by  a  misunderstanding  of  our  language, 
casualties  were  rare.  One  native  failing  to  answer 
the  third  or  fourth  challenge  given  by  the  guard  on 
the  plantation  of  Antonio  Marques  was  shot  and 
killed  by  a  member  of  the  6th.  Xo  possible  blame 
can  be  attached  to  the  soldier,  as  he  did  strictly 
and  only  his  duty. 

Company  K  on  the  28th  relieved  Company  E 
of  provost  duty,  who  had  since  the  leaving  of  the 
regulars  had  that  work.  On  the  same  day  Com 
pany  I  started  for  Coamo,  followed  on  the  6th  of 
October  by  Company  E  for  Hatillo. 


172      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

As  each  company  left  town  they  were  escorted 
by  the  band  out  over  the  bridge  by  the  old  camp 
and  given  a  u  God  speed  "  by  the  colonel. 

On  the  30th  of  September  the  members  of  Com 
pany  I  were  very  greatly  surprised  to  see  the  Rev. 
Mr.  McDonald  of  Concord  walking  down  the 
streets  of  Utuado.  He  had  come  in  behalf  of  the 
families  of  the  men  in  the  company,  and  particu 
larly  for  the  purpose  of  taking  home  the  bodies  of 
those  who  had  died  there. 

Only  those  personally  familiar  with  the  country, 
and  the  difficulty  of  travelling,  can  know  what  it 
meant  to  undertake  the  office  of  kindness  which 
Mr.  McDonald  accomplished.  His  visit  to  the 
regiment  cheered  up  all  the  men,  and  his  sermon 
on  Sunday,  October  2,  on  the  importance  of  the 
service  of  those  who  "  only  stand  and  wait "  was 
at  a  time  when  men  were  forgetting  the  life  of  the 
soldier  is  spent  principally  in  service  of  waiting, 
but  always  ready. 

The  following  interesting  letter  was  written  by 
Mr.  McDonald  shortly  after  his  arrival  at  Utuado. 

"  The  journey  from  Ponce  to  this  place  is  extremely 
interesting.  I  started  Wednesday  morning  with  five 
doctors  in  a  mule  wagon.  The  first  ten  miles  the  road 
was  fair.  Then  it  became  so  bad  that  the  wagon  got 
stalled  in  the  middle  of  a  river  ford.  From  there  I 
walked  ten  miles  with  one  of  the  doctors  to  a  town 
called  Adjuntas,  where  I  stayed  over  night,  The  next 


Utuado  173 

morning  I  succeeded  in  finding  a  mule  and  afterward  a 
saddle.  The  animal  at  first  seriously  objected  to  my 
weight  on  his  back,  but  after  a  struggle,  in  which  I 
finally  brought  up  in  an  orange  grove,  the  mule  dis 
covered  what  a  masterly  hand  held  the  bridle,  and 
started  on  the  way  without  further  protest.  I  was  on 
his  back  for  about  four  hours,  which  brought  me  to 
Utuado. 

u  The  whole  journey  from  Ponce  to  Utuado  is  through 
the  most  magnificent  scenery.  At  times  the  road  or 
path  was  on  the  edge  of  a  precipice  nearly  two  thousand 
feet  deep,  and  sometimes  if  the  mule  had  made  a  mis 
step,  I  should  not  be  here  to  write  this  letter.  Moun 
tain  heights  and  deep  ravines  are  filled  with  a  luxuriant 
foliage,  with  orange,  banana,  coffee  trees,  and  sugar  cane. 
The  natives  picked  me  a  bunch  of  oranges  and  bananas 
for  a  penny.  The  whole  ride  was  immensely  enjoyable. 

"  One  of  the  first  men  to  meet  me  in  Utuado  was 
Sergt.  George  King,  and  a  more  astonished  and  delighted 
boy  you  never  saw.  That  night  we  had  a  reception  in  his 
quarters,  and  the  talk  was  long  and  interesting.  Among 
the  boys  I  found  Sergt.  James  Tolman  very  ill.  He  is 
now  much  better,  and  the  doctor  says  that  he  considers 
him  entirely  out  of  danger.  The  boys  now  in  the  hos 
pital  whom  you  know  are  Bugler  Philip  Emmott  and 
Robert  Richardson.  Bert  Dakin  is  around,  but  looking 
miserable.  Out  of  a  thousand  men  the  regiment  has 
about  three  hundred  and  seventy  sick,  and  very  few  of 
those  who  are  not  sick  are  really  strong  and  well.  It  is 
the  sickest  place  that  I  was  ever  in,  and  the  whole  busi 
ness  of  this  encampment  seems  to  be  to  take  care  of  the 
ailing.  The  boys  have  lost  all  the  spare  flesh  they  had, 
and  we  have  some  cases  of  living  skeletons.  I  go 
through  the  three  hospitals  every  day,  saying  a  cheering 


174      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

word  to  every  man,  and  it  does  me  good  to  see  their 
faces  brighten  up  at  the  mention  of  home  and  the  pros 
pect  of  soon  getting  there. 

"This  afternoon  I  held  a  religious  service  in  the 
square,  and  about  five  hundred  of  the  well  soldiers  were 
present,  and  they  seemed  much  helped  by  my  words  of 
comfort  and  cheer.  The  desire  to  go  home  is  universal, 
and  the  intense  longing  on  the  part  of  some  produces  a 
sort  of  melancholia.  I  don't  know  why  it  is,  whether  it 
is  the  heat,  or  the  unsatisfactory  sanitary  conditions  of 


SUNDAY  IN  UTUADO. 

the  place,  or  the  miserable  rations,  but  it  certainly  seems 
that  if  the  men  remain  here  two  months  longer  there 
will  not  be  a  well  man  in  the  whole  regiment. 

"  It  is  announced  that  a  part  of  the  regiment  at  least 
will  be  removed  to  Arecibo,  on  the  coast,  with  much 
more  healthful  conditions.  I  have  taken  two  or  three 
detachments  of  our  men  to  the  hotel  and  given  them  one 
good  square  meal,  the  best  that  the  town  could  furnish. 


Utuado  175 

It  was  the  first  that  some  of  them  had  had  since  starting 
from  home,  and  was  immensely  appreciated.  I  was 
disappointed  to  find  that  some  of  our  men,  with  Captain 
Cook,  had  been  sent  to  a  distant  place  the  day  before 
my  arrival.  I  start  on  a  journey  of  about  thirty  miles 
to-morrow  to  see  them,  expecting  to  return  to  Utuado 
again  in  a  few  days.  I  go  on  a  horse  furnished  by 
Colonel  Rice,  who  has  been  very  kind  to  me  since  my 
arrival." 

October  1.  Regimental  line  inspection  was  held 
at  7.45  A.  M.  in  heavy  marching  order,  with  shelter 
tents,  rolls,  haversacks,  and  canteens.  In  the  after 
noon  the  wagon  train  left  in  charge  of  Lieutenant 
Conrad  for  Arecibo  for  supplies. 

October  3.  Two  ambulances  and  four  teams  left 
Utuado  at  6  A.  M.  in  charge  of  Surgeon  Washburn 
with  forty  sick  men  for  Arecibo,  who  were  to  re 
turn  home  on  the  hospital  ship  "Relief." 

There  had  been  numerous  rumors  of  the  coming 
of  the  paymaster,  until  the  men  bad  grown  scepti 
cal  on  the  subject.  When  in  the  evening  an  am 
bulance  drove  into  town  with  the  paymaster  in 
person,  a  welcome  was  accorded  him  which  few 
officials  received.  Two  hours  later  the  detail  which 
bad  gone  to  Arecibo  on  the  2d  in  charge  of  Sergeant 
Draper  arrived  with  the  paymaster's  boxes. 

October  4.  A  hospital  train  carrying  twenty- 
nine  men  for  the  "  Relief  "  left  Utuado  at  7  A.  M. 
The  excitement  attendant  on  the  arrival  of  the 


176      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

paymaster  the  night  before  pervaded  the  regiment 
during  the  morning.  At  12.30  Major  Doyon  began 
paying  the  men,  finishing  that  evening.  As  the 
companies  lined  up  with  a  number  in  the  ranks 
that  had  not  been  seen  there  for  many  days,  there 
was  much  friendly  chaffing  as  to  the  increase 
among  the  different  companies,  over  the  "  lame 
and  the  halt,"  who  with  difficulty  stood  in  line 


A  NATIVE  PACK  TRAIN. 

until,  as  they  say  in  the  navy,  the  circle  had  been 
made  the  second  time,  and  the  men  had  the  first 
money  they  had  received  in  three  months.  If 
some  of  them  forgot  they  were  "  sick  in  quarters  " 
they  are  not  to  be  blamed. 

Before  the  line  was  half  passed  men  were  hurry 
ing  to  the  different  stores  in  the  town  to  get  change 
in  Porto  Rican  money.  A  harvest  such  as  the 


Utuado  177 

town  had  never  before  seen  was  garnered  by  the 
shopkeepers,  many  of  whom  to  their  lasting  shame 
raised  prices  until  they  had  to  be  threatened  with 
having  their  shops  closed. 

The  hotels  and  restaurants,  such  as  they  are,  were 
taken  by  storm,  until  it  was  not  possible  to  get  a 
place  for  any  price.  Many  men  got  the  first 
"  square  meal "  they  had  had  since  leaving  Camp 
Alger  in  July.  The  colonel  showed  his  confidence 
in  the  men  by  having  taps  an  hour  later  in  honor 
of  the  event,  a  privilege  which  was  continued  until 
the  regiment  left  the  town.  That  the  men  appre 
ciated  this  was  shown  by  the  temperate  use  they 
made  of  their  freedom  and  money,  there  being  few 
cases  of  drunkenness  or  disorder  in  the  town.  After 
the  needs  of  clothing,  etc.,  were  supplied,  the  men 
began  buying  souvenirs,  etc. 

An  event  which  would  have  been  of  great  inter 
est  to  the  regiment  any  time  but  "  pay  day  "  was 
the  raising  of  the  American  flag  in  Utuado,  when 
Major  Darling  responded  to  the  alcalde's  address. 
As  it  was,  there  were  more  than  thirteen  stars 
visible  that  night,  and  the  happiest  crowd  of  men 
since  leaving  Camp  Alger. 

Rev.  George  D.  Rice  was  commissioned  chaplain 
of  the  6th  Massachusetts,  filling  the  vacancy  made 
by  the  resignation  of  Rev.  Mr.  Dusseault  at  Ponce. 
The  return  of  the  regiment  shortly  after  this  pre- 


178      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

vented  the  new  chaplain  from  joining  it  until  its 
return  to  Massachusetts. 

Chaplain  Rice  was  born  in  Maiden  in  1861,  edu 
cated  at  the  Mt.  Yernon  Military  Academy,  Chicago, 
and  at  Tufts  College  Divinity  School. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  was  a  member 
of  Battery  K,  1st  Massachusetts  Heavy  Artillery. 

October  5.  Inspection  of  quarters  and  the  per 
sonal  appearance  of  the  men  was  held  at  5  P.  M., 
and  in  the  evening  two  pack  trains  arrived  from 
Arecibo. 

October  6.  Company  E,  commanded  by  Lieu 
tenant  Moore,  left  for  Isabella  at  7.30  A.  M.,  the 
band  escorting  them  out  of  the  town,  where  they 
were  reviewed  by  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Rice  at  the 
bridge. 

Before  they  had  proceeded  far  a  messenger  over 
took  them  to  tell  of  the  arrival  of  the  telegram 
to  Colonel  Rice  :  "  6th  Massachusetts  Regiment  to 
be  ordered  to  United  States.  Regiment  to  remain 
until  relieved." 

This  was  the  culmination  of  the  efforts  made 
when  matters  were  at  their  worst  for  the  regiment 
to  be  relieved  and  returned  home. 

The  possibility  of  being  able  to  report  abuses 
and  of  their  being  righted  in  time  was  the  only 
consolation  for  the  men.  Earlier  letters  detailing 
the  story  of  the  life  of  unnecessary  hardships  in 
a  land  of  plenty  and  a  period  of  practical  peace 


CHAPLAIN  GEORGE  D.  RICE. 


Utuado  181 

had  been  sent  broadcast  by  the  men  to  their 
homes  ;  the  results  of  which  were  mass  meetings 
held  in  different  towns  and  appeals  to  the  gov 
ernor  for  the  return  of  the  regiment  that  stimu 
lated  him  to  write  the  following  kindly  letter  to 
President  McKinley  :  — 

BOSTON,  Sept.  5,  1898. 
To  THE  PRESIDENT,  WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

The  pitiable  condition  in  which  the  2cl  and  9th  Mas 
sachusetts  regiments  have  returned  from  their  arduous 
and  gallant  service  in  Cuba  has  naturally  caused  a  pro 
found  sense  of  solicitude  regarding  the  6th  regiment, 
now  in  Porto  Rico.  My  own  feelings  are  deeply  con 
cerned,  and  I  am  besought  by  personal  letters  and  by 
the  authorities  of  cities  to  ask  for  the  prompt  return  and 
muster  out  of  this  regiment.  I  have  felt  it  my  duty 
to  decline  to  comply  with  this  request  so  long  as  the 
national  government  requires  their  services. 

The  splendid  patriotism  which  prompted  their  volun 
tary  enlistment  will  sustain  them  in  any  perils  or  hard 
ships  they  may  be  called  on  to  endure.  But  the  lives 
of  her  sons  are  precious  in  the  eyes  of  the  common 
wealth,  as  I  am  well  assured  they  are  to  you,  to  whom 
the  fortunes  of  our  arms  have  been  competently 
intrusted,  and  I  have  the  honor  urgently  to  request 
that  whether  in  camp,  in  garrison,  or  on  transports, 
these  lives  may  be  tenderly  guarded  by  every  precaution 
in  clothing,  food,  and  medical  attendance  which  science 
may  suggest. 

To  this  end  no  effort  can  be  too  great  and  no  expend 
iture  too  lavish.  The  commonwealth,  through  its  con 
stituted  authorities,  and  through  the  contributions  of  its 
patriotic  citizens,  ably  administered  by  the  Voluntary 


182      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

Aid  Association,  will  consider  it  a  privilege  to  be  per 
mitted,  with  money  or  supplies,  to  aid  the  efforts  which 
the  national  government  is  making  to  render  its  service 
less  perilous  to  the  lives  and  health  of  its  gallant 
soldiers.  ROGER  WOLCOTT. 

By  the  time  the  machinery  which  granted  this 
request   was    set  in    motion,  the    evils   had   been 


STARTING  FOR  OUTPOST  DUTY. 

largely  overcome  and  the  health  and  spirits  of  the 
regiment  were  on  the  mend.  The  majority  of 
the  officers  and  many  of  the  men  preferred  spend 
ing  the  winter  in  Porto  Rico,  and  enjoying  the 
life  that  had  come  to  be  pleasant  after  so  long 
a  period  of  preparatory  work.  The  morning 
of  October  6,  during  guard  mount,  Colonel  Rice 
received  telegraphic  orders  to  move  to  Arecibo. 
His  appreciation  of  the  men's  feeling  was  shown 
by  his  relieving  the  band  from  guard  mount  and 


GOVERNOR  WOLCOTT. 


Utuado  185 

sending  them  as  a  herald  through  the  streets  with 
the  welcome  news.  An  impromptu  procession  was 
formed  behind  the  band,  and  the  demonstration 
which  took  place  left  no  room  for  doubts  as  to  the 
opinion  of  the  regiment  on  the  subject. 

October  9.     Company  B,  commanded  by  Lieut. 


NATIVE  WATER  CARRIER. 

F.  G.  Taylor,  left  Utuado  at  9.30  A.  M.  for  Hatillo, 
going  by  way  of  Arecibo. 

The  prospect  of  going  home  gave  life  a  new 
interest,  and  the  "  Bay  State  walk  ''  was  replaced 
by  an  elastic  step  that  no  other  tonic  could  have 
effected  in  the  same  space  of  time. 

October  10.  The  order  was  given  for  Companies 
I,  H,  K,  and  L  to  leave  Utuado  for  Arecibo  with 
Major  Darling  in  command. 


i  86      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE    HOSPITALS 

"  What  ha'  you  done  with  half  your  mess,  Johnnie,  Johnnie? 

They  could  n't  do  more,  and  they  would  n't  do  less, 

Johnnie,  my  Johnnie  aha  ! 

They  ate  their  whack  and  they  drank  their  fill. 

And  I  think  the  rations  has  made  them  ill." 

THE  popular  idea  of  an  army  hospital  is  one 
where  rows  of  cots  are  filled  by  wounded 
heroes,  minus  arms,  legs,  etc.,  attended  by  an  attrac 
tive  trained  nurse,  immaculate  in  starched  aprons 
and  cuffs,  with  the  badge  of  her  office  in  the  form 
of  a  red  cross  on  her  left  arm.  This  idea,  fostered 
by  the  newspaper,  with  a  colored  illustration  show 
ing  a  nurse  at  the  bedside  of  an  invalid  propped  up 
on  big  pillows,  and  with  just  a  suggestion  of 
romance  thrown  in,  comes  about  as  near  the  actual 
ity  of  the  early  experiences  of  the  6th  as  the  pretty 
milkmaid  who  appears  in  opera  does  to  the  real 
country  maiden  who  fulfils  that  office  on  the 
farm.  If  mothers,  whose  chief  care  in  the  assistance 
of  trained  nurses  at  home  consists  in  keeping 
folded  screens  properly  placed  to  keep  off  drafts 


MAJOR  GEORGE  F.  Dow 
Surgeon. 


The  Hospitals  189 

and  the  shades  drawn  to  a  proper  degree,  could 
have  seen  their  sons  lying  on  the  wet  ground  on 
only  a  blanket,  or  in  a  hospital  wagon  closed  at 
one  end  during  storms  by  a  sheet,  they  would  not 
have  slept  well. 

Until  the  regiment  went  into  quarters  in  Utuado 
we  had  the  division  hospital  system.  After  that 
date,  as  our  regiment  was  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  time  alone,  the  surgeons  of  the  6th  had  charge 
of  their  own  men. 

The  first  hospital  opened  in  town,  later  known 
as  No.  1,  was  in  charge  of  Major  Dow,  Surgeons 
Washburn  and  Gross  remaining  with  the  regiment. 
Previous  to  this  time  tents,  later  supplemented 
by  the  ambulances,  had  been  used  for  hospital 
service,  and  as  it  was  during  the  rainy  season 
when  we  were  located  in  the  "  mud  hole"  the 
transfer  to  the  buildings  of  even  warehouses  was 
most  acceptable.  The  simplicity  of  all  houses  on 
the  island  makes  the  difference  between  a  house 
and  a  warehouse  infinitely  less  than  it  would 
mean  in  this  country. 

Hospital  No.  1  was  a  large  coffee-house  near 
the  entrance  to  the  village  of  Utuado  as  one 
arrives  from  Adjuntas  or  Arecibo.  It  was  a  long, 
narrow,  one-story  shed,  raised  on  posts  about  six 
feet  from  the  ground,  sufficiently  wide  for  two  rows 
of  cots,  leaving  a  passage  about  four  to  five  feet  wide 


i go      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

up  and  down  the  centre.  This  building  was  care 
fully  cleaned,  the  walls  were  whitewashed,  and 
put  into  a  thoroughly  good  condition,  accommodat 
ing  about  forty  patients,  leaving  a  comfortable 
interval  between  the  cots.  The  patients"  nearly 
all  had  typhoid  fever,  and  most  of  them  at  one  time 
or  another  were  very  ill.  An  ell  ran  off  from  this 
coffee-shed  in  which  were  accommodated  about  ten 
more  patients.  In  the  yard  of  the  coffee-house 
were  pitched  two  hospital  tents,  containing  each 
four  cots  for  convalescent  patients.  Still  back  of 
this  were  pitched  four  common  wall  tents  which 
were  used  by  some  of  the  hospital  corps  men 
and  the  cooks.  On  the  same  line  with  these  tents 
were  pitched  two  large  flies  for  cook  tents,  one 
for  cooking  for  the  hospital  corps  men,  and  one  for 
the  patients.  Still  back  of  this  another  tent  was 
pitched  in  which  were  kept  supplies  for  the  hos 
pital,  and  yet  further  back  was  a  long  open  shed 
in  which  slept  the  hospital  corps  men.  Here  they 
swung  their  hammocks,  and  had  on  the  whole  a 
very  comfortable  place  in  which  to  live.  The  sinks 
were  well  off  to  one  side  and  back  of  the  hospital, 
and  were  covered  with  earth  three  times  a  day,  and 
large  quantities  of  lime  were  used. 

Hospital  No.  2  was  at  the  other  end  of  the 
town,  where  were  two  coffee-houses  with  two  yards 
between  them  used  for  the  spreading  of  trays  on 


The  Hospitals  191 

which  the  coffee  was  dried.  These  coffee-houses 
were  thoroughly  cleaned  and  used  in  the  same 
manner  as  described  in  Hospital  No.  1.  Hospital 
tents  were  pitched  in  the  yards,  and  sinks  were 
well  in  the  rear.  Hospital  Xo.  2  was  capable  of 
holding  from  sixty  to  sixty-five  patients. 

Hospital  Xo.  3  was  a  small  house  near  the  river, 
and  accommodated  from  fifteen  to  twenty  patients. 

The  first  receipt  of  the  much-needed  delicacies 
and  hospital  supplies  was  from  Arecibo,  where  Dr. 
Washburn.  went  under  the  Red  Cross  flag,  and  from 
which  place  he  was  allowed  to  send  medicinal  sup 
plies  back  to  camp. 

On  first  going  into  the  hospitals  there  were 
almost  no  cots,  and  no  bedding  of  any  kind  beyond 
the  men's  own  blankets  and  ponchos.  As  fast  as 
they  could  be  made  by  the  native  carpenters, 
the  native  cots  were  manufactured  and  put  into 
service.  These  consisted  of  canvas  stretched  on 
parallel  bars,  and  were  luxurious  after  a  season  on 
the  ground  and  the  floor. 

There  were  a  few  cots  in  the  town,  but  it  was 
hard  to  find  them.  When  one  morning,  therefore, 

Major  saw  two  men  passing  the  hospital 

carrying  a  closed  cot  on  their  shoulders,  he  sur 
prised  them  by  rushing  out  and  asking,  "Quanto 
vale? — Quanto  vale?"  The  natives  looked  sur 
prised,  and  in  their  perplexity  lowered  the  cot, 


192      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

when  the  doctor  saw  the  corpse  of  a  child  in  the 
folds  of  the  canvas  covering,  which  they  were 
taking  to  the  cemetery. 

The  absence  of  battles  eliminated  the  care  of 
wounded,  but  the  rapidity  with  which  the  hospitals 
filled  up  gave  the  surgeons  an  equal  amount  of 
care.  Fortune  favored  the  regiment  in  not  giving 
the  combination. 

Typhoid  fever  was  the  principal  sickness,  which 
at  one  time  threatened  to  sweep  the  regiment,  over 
half  of  it  being  "  unfit  for  duty  "  at  one  time. 

The  danger  of  typhoid  from  the  drinking  water 
was  always  emphasized,  and  every  pressure  was 
brought  to  bear  to  have  this  boiled.  During  the 
marches  it  was  impossible,  and  after  going  into 
quarters  difficult.  Under  the  direction  of  the 
medical  staff  a  central  boiling  station  was  estab 
lished,  where  boiled  water  was  kept  constantly  on 
hand  and  supplied  systematically  to  every  com 
pany  in  the  regiment.  As  a  result  of  this,  in  a 
very  short  time  there  was  a  marked  improvement 
in  the  health  of  the  men. 

The  impression  prevalent  in  this  country  that 
there  was  no  typhoid  in  Porto  Rico  previous  to  the 
arrival  of  our  troops  is  not  accepted  by  our 
surgeons,  wrho  say  there  was  plenty  of  it  there  on 
our  arrival,  and  much  more  before  the  natives 
had  time  to  contract  it  from  the  soldiers.  Malaria 


The  Hospitals  193 

also  prevailed,  but  it  was  fortunately  of  a  very 
mild  type  and  yielded  readily  to  treatment. 

The  need  for  nurses  was  imperative,  as  the  large 
number  of  patients,  most  of  whom  were  seriously 
ill  at  one  time  or  another,  requiring  close  attention, 
rendered  the  number  of  regular  nurses  entirely 
inadequate.  Volunteers  were  called  for,  and  men 
from  the  different  companies  volunteered  with  a 
cheerfulness  that  should  be  to  their  lasting  credit, 
performing  the  arduous  and  continuous  duties 
without  complaint. 

Kindness  from  a  woman  excites  no  comment. 
But  when  you  see  big  strong  men,  clumsy  though 
they  be  in  their  efforts,  administering  every  pos 
sible  attention  to  their  sick  comrades,  it  touches 
a  chord  that  vibrates  to  no  other  experience. 

The  arrival  of  Mrs.  Eice  and  later  of  Miss  Gait 
and  Miss  Parsons  brought  into  the  hospitals  the 
atmosphere  and  touch  of  comforts  which  usually 
are  found  in  the  wrake  of  a  woman  in  a  sick 
room. 

Food  for  the  hospitals  was  procured  by  sending 
men  into  the  country  for  eggs  and  milk,  while 
good  bread  was  found  in  the  local  markets. 

On  September  23d  the  supplies  sent  by  the 
Massachusetts  Volunteer  Aid  Society  on  the  "  Bay 
State,"  consisting  of  cots,  bedding,  pajamas,  linen, 
toilet  articles,  surgical  appliances,  drugs,  rubber 


13 


1 94      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

sheets,  and  fruit  supplies  were  received.  After 
this  date  the  hospitals  had  everything  wanted,  and 
were  able  to  distribute  to  the  various  companies 
a  large  stock  of  lied  Cross  supplies  which  were 
unsuitable  for  use  in  the  hospitals. 

For  the  men  who  were  sick  in  quarters,  that  is, 
not  ill  enough  to  necessitate  sending  them  to  the 


HOSPITAL  LAUNDRY. 

over-crowded  hospital,  a  special  diet  w^as  arranged 
at  the  hospital  kitchens  where  the  men  went  at 
stated  hours. 

The  question  of  a  laundry  was  a  difficult 
problem  to  solve.  At  first  the  linen  was  sterilized 
as  much  as  possible  by  wetting  it  down  with 
solutions  of  antiseptics  before  being  given  to  the 
native  women  for  washing.  Later  two  large  iron 
kettles  w^ere  set  up  in  the  rear  of  Hospital  No. 


Miss  MURIEL  G.  GALT. 


The  Hospitals  197 

3,  where  water  was  kept  boiling  constantly. 
Large  coffee-sacks  were  distributed  to  each  hos 
pital,  and  as  fast  as  the  linen  became  soiled  it  was 
put  directly  into  these  and  the  sacks  firmly  tied. 
It  was  then  taken  to  the  kettles  and  boiled 
thoroughly  before  being  removed,  after  which  it 
was  given  to  the  Porto  Rican  women  to  wash. 

The  arrival  of  Miss  Gait  and  Miss  Parsons,  who 
came  down  from  the  "  Bay  State  "  on  her  second 
trip,  volunteering  their  services  in  the  hospitals, 
was  the  greatest  aid  to  the  surgeons,  Miss  Parsons 
taking  charge  of  Hospital  No.  1,  Miss  Gait  of 
Xo.  2,  and  between  them  looking  after  No.  3. 
Whatever  feeling  there  may  have  been  in  the 
minds  of  a  few  of  the  men  regarding  the  fitness  of 
women  nurses  for  an  army  hospital,  was  soon 
removed  under  the  improved  condition  of  affairs 
and  the  personal  magnetism  of  the  nurses. 

One  young  man  who  was  ill  many  weeks  in  the 
hospital  writes :  "  Be  sure  and  give  the  lady  nurses, 
who  were  so  kind  to  us  who  had  to  experience 
hospital  life,  all  the  credit  due  them.  Most  men 
are  inclined  to  overlook  the  sacrifices  made  by 
these  women  when  they  are  telling  their  own 
stories." 

Typhoid  being  the  principal  disease,  every 
possible  precaution  to  prevent  its  spread  was 
taken.  Each  nurse  was  given  particular  directions 


198      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

as  to  care  of  himself  as  well  as  his  patient,  and  no 
convalescent  from  typhoid  was  allowed  to  return 
to  his  company  for  fear  of  possible  infection. 

The  policy  of  the  physicians  was  to  send  home 
only  the  men  who  were  convalescent  from 
typhoid,  or  those  who  were  sick  in  quarters,  being 
weak  from  exhaustion  and  unfit  for  service,  and 


DR.    CliOCKETT. 

who  did  not  seem  to  be  able  to  recuperate  in  that 
climate.  The  attitude  assumed  by  the  surgeons 
on  this  point  is  doubtless  the  reason  the  death  rate 
among  such  a  large  number  of  typhoid  patients 
was  kept  so  small. 

When  able  to  be  moved,  they  were  transferred 
to  Arecibo,  where  they  were  put  aboard  the  hospi 
tal  ships  for  home,  the  first  detachment  being  sent 


The  Hospitals  199 

on  October  the  3d  and  4th  by  the  "Relief,"  the 
rest  of  the  men  coming  on  the  "  Bay  State." 

On  September  ISth,  Dr.  Crockett  arrived  from 
Ponce,  having  made  the  trip  in  the  saddle  to  see  if 
it  was  feasible  to  transfer  our  sick  men  over  that 
route  to  the  "  Bay  State."  As  permission  was 
gotten  to  send  the  sick  men  through  by  the  way  of 
Arecibo,  the  "  Bay  State  "  was  sent  to  that  point, 
where,  on  the  20th,  seventy-eight  of  our  men  were 
sent  in  wagons  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Crockett. 
Some  were  so  ill  they  were  obliged  to  be  trans 
ported  in  hammocks  suspended  in  the  wagons,  but 
the  journey  wras  made  without  mishap. 

The  transfer  to  Arecibo  was  made  in  ambu 
lances  and  army  wagons  drawn  by  four  mules, 
over  a  road  leading  over  mountains,  around 
dangerous  precipices  where  two  wagons  could  not 
possibly  pass,  down  slopes  where  the  wagons 
jumped  from  one  shelving  rock  to  another,  over 
roads  that  were  cut  into  chuck  holes  where  the 
wagon  would  plunge  up  to  the  bed  in  mud  and 
water.  The  river,  which  had  to  be  forded  six 
times,  was  at  this  season  very  high  from  the  heavy 
rains,  and  each  trip  that  was  made  had  to  be  pre 
arranged  and  the  chances  taken  of  the  river  being 
reached  after  five  hours'  driving  and  found  too 
deep  to  cross.  As  it  was  in  many  cases,  the  men 
had  to  stand  up  to  keep  out  of  the  water,  which 


2OO      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

would    come    up    into    the    beds    of    the    wagons, 
soaking  everything  that  was  left  there. 

On  reaching  Arecibo,  there  being  no  harbor 
there,  it  was  necessary  to  transfer  the  sick  into 
lighters,  in  which  they  were  taken  out  to  the 
hospital  ship,  which  it  was  necessary  to  anchor  far 
out  from  the  shore.  The  excitement  attendant  on 


H'OSPITAL  TRAIN  FOR  ARECIBO. 

the  departure  of  the  sick  for  the  hospital  ships  per 
meated  the  entire  regiment.  Nothing  was  harder 
for  the  sick  in  the  hospital  than  to  see  others  start 
home,  while  for  the  well  men  it  was  a  temptation 
to  want  to  be  "just  sick  enough"  to  be  candidates 
for  the  trip. 

This  work  of  transfer  was  done  by  army  mules. 
Those    who    remember    the   struggle  of   the    poor 


The  Hospitals  201 

beasts  as  they  plunged  into  the  swift  currents  and 
struggled  out  over  the  muddy  banks,  who  saw 
them  day  after  day  doing  the  wrork  that  horses 
could  not  possibly  have  done,  and  living  on  worse 
than  army  rations,  will  not  underestimate  the 
value  of  those  animals  in  the  Porto  Rican  campaign, 
or  see  inconsistency  in  remembering  them  kindly. 


CONVALESCENTS  ON  THE  WAY  TO  THE  "BAY  STATE." 

A  learned  writer  on  the  Holy  Scriptures  says : 
"It  is  acknowledged  that  neither  the  Apostles  nor 
Fathers  have  absolutely  condemned  swearing,  or 
the  use  of  oaths,  upon  every  occasion,  and  upon  all 
subjects.  There  are  circumstances  wherein  we 
cannot  morally  be  excused  from  it ;  but  we  never 
ought  to  swear  but  upon  urgent  necessity,  and  to 
do  some  considerable  good  by  it." 


2O2      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

This  may  in  a  small  degree  apply  to  certain 
remarks  made  by  our  mule  drivers  before  they 
learned  to  "  speak  Spanish  "  to  the  mules  on  the 
trips  to  Arecibo  over  the  mountains. 

The  life  of  the  surgeons  in  the  midst  of  this 
amount  of  sickness,  where  disease  had  to  be  fought 
in  the  tropics  with  insufficient  supplies  and  appli 
ances,  can  only  be  imagined. 

The  clay  began  with  sick  call  at  7.30  A.M.,  when 
the  sick  men  would  line  up  by  companies  at  the 
dispensary,  being  seen  in  turn  by  the  surgeon  and 
prescribed  for,  one  being  sent  to  the  hospital, 
another  returned  to  quarters,  until  the  entire  num 
ber  had  been  seen,  ranging  from  fifty  to  two  hun 
dred  men  who  would  have  been  in  line. 

From  the  dispensary,  the  surgeon  would  go  to 
the  hospitals,  where  he  would  join  the  others  in 
the  care  of  the  patients  there. 

Under  this  strain  Major  Dow  broke  down  and 
returned  home  on  the  "  Bay  State"  from  Arecibo 
on  her  second  trip,  presumably  a  sick  man,  When 
the  boat  returned  the  surprise  of  the  regiment  was 
only  equalled  by  its  delight  at  the  return  of  Major 
Dow,  who  again  took  up  his  work  until  the  return 
of  the  regiment. 

The  very  small  percentage  of  deaths  out  of  the 
large  number  of  cases  of  typhoid  bears  witness  in 
a  stronger  way  than  anything  that  can  be  written 
of  the  care  given  our  sick. 


STEPHEN  E.  RYDER.  EDWIN  D.  TOWLE. 

HARKIE  C.  HUNTER. 

Hospital  Stewards. 


The  Hospitals  205 

Many  severe  criticisms  have  been  made  during 
the  war  of  the  treatment  of  certain  regiments  at 
the  hands  of  their  surgeons.  The  6th  has  nothing 
but  praise  and  an  acknowledgment  of  their  appre 
ciation  for  the  surgeons,  who  were  untiring  in  their 
discharge  of  duty. 


206      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  "BAY  STATE  " 

ON  the  third  day  of  May,  1898,  at  the  request 
of  Governor  Wolcott,  a  number  of  gentle 
men  whom  he  had  asked  as  public-spirited  citizens 
met  in  the  council  chamber  to  consider  the  advisa 
bility  of  the  formation  of  a  sanitary  commission. 
As  a  result  of  this  meeting,  the  Massachusetts 
Volunteer  Aid  Association  was  formed  to  render 
aid  to  the  volunteers  who  enlisted  in  the  service  of 
the  United  States,  with  the  following  officers :  — 

EBKN  S.  DRAPER,  Chairman :  MAJOR  II.  L.  HIGGINSON,  Treas 
urer:  ELIHU  B.  HAYES,  Secretary. 

Executive  Committee. 

HENRY  L.  HIGGINSON.  ARNOLD  A.  RAND. 

GEORGE  VON  L.  MEYER.  CHARLES  J.  PAINE. 

EBEN  S.  DRAPER.  ROBERT  M.  BURNETT. 

PATRICK  A.  COLLINS.  T.  JEFFERSON  COOLIDGE,  JR. 

ELIHU  B.  HAYES.  SHERMAN  HOAR. 
JAMES  PHILLIPS,  JR. 

At  this  meeting  the  suggestion  was  made  by  Dr. 
Herbert  L.  Burrell  that  a  hospital  ship  would  be 


The  "Bay  State"  207 

of   special   use,   and    that    a    popular   subscription 
should   be    started    to   buy  and   equip,   under    the 
Geneva  conference,  Article  XIII,  which  is  an  inter 
national  agreement,  providing  for  the  recognition 
of  aid  association  ships,  a  volunteer  Aid  Association 
Ship.     Our  government  hospital  ships  numbered  but 
two ;  the  "  Relief  "  for  the  army  and  the  "  Solace  " 
for  the  navy.     The  rapidity  with  which  men  broke 
down  under  tropical  fevers  rendered  a  greater  trans 
porting  facility  almost  a  necessity.     The  decision 
having  been  reached  to  purchase  a  ship,  a  public 
subscription  was  called  for,  to  which  the  people  of 
the  State  responded  with  a  readiness  and  generosity 
that  will  be  to  the  lasting  glory  of  Massachusetts. 
The  " widow's  mite"  and  the  five  thousand  dollar 
checks   came   together,   $230,000  being   promptly 
subscribed,  and  this  amount  could   have  been  in 
creased   indefinitely.     The   question  arising  as   to 
the   function  of  the  ship,  whether  it  were  to  be 
primarily  a   supply  one,  not  only  for   our  troops 
but  for  combatants  as  well,  or  whether  she  were 
to  be  primarily  a  hospital  ship,  was  settled  by  the 
consideration    of    Honorable   Sherman  Hoar,   who 
came  forward  and  solved  the  question  by  demon 
strating  to  our  government  at  Washington  the  ne 
cessity  and  the  advisability  of  putting  such  a  ship 
into  commission. 

During  the  month  of  May,  R.  M.  Burnett,  Esq., 


208      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

and  Dr.  C.  A.  Siegfried,  after  looking  over  various 
vessels  which  were  offered,  finally  bought  the  "  Bow- 
den,"  one  of  the  Boston  Fruit  Company's  steamers, 
which  arrived  in  Boston,  June  6.  She  wras  sent 
to  the  Atlantic  works  of  East  Boston,  where  under 
the  personal  supervision  of  their  consulting  engi 
neer,  James  T.  Boyd,  she  was  transformed  and 
renamed  the  "  Bay  State,"  being  the  first  aid  asso 
ciation  ship  that  had  ever  been  fitted  out  under 
the  Geneva  conference,  Article  XIII. 

This  was  done  under  the  direction  of  the  board 
of  control,  composed  of  Major  Henry  L.  Higginson, 
Robert  M.  Burnett,  Esq.,  and  Dr.  Herbert  L. 
Burrell,  with  Dr.  E.  H.  Bradford  acting  in  the 
absence  of  Dr.  Burrell,  with  James  T.  Boyd  as 
consulting  engineer.  In  seven  weeks  she  was 
thoroughly  renovated  and  ready  for  service. 

The  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  by  an  Act 
of  the  legislature  appropriated  $50,000,  which  sum 
was  paid  for  the  hospital  ship,  and  loaned  her  to 
the  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Aid  Association. 

On  August  6  the  "  Bay  State  "  lay  in  the  harbor 
ready  for  service.  She  was  200  ft.  long.  27  ft. 
beam,  a  depth  of  12  ft.  7  in.  with  a  gross  ton 
nage  of  777,  net  380  tons,  painted  white  with  a 
red  strake.  She  had  been  well  tested  as  to 
strength  and  endurance,  having  weathered  with 
out  difficulty  several  cyclones  in  the  West  Indies 


The  "Bay  State"  209 

when  used  as  a  fruit  steamer.  The  expense  of 
altering  her,  in  addition  to  the  original  cost,  was 
$67,000,  but  when  finished  Boston  had  the  pleasure 
of  sending  forth  the  most  completely  equipped  hos 
pital  ship  the  world  has  seen.  She  contained  every 
convenience  and  appliance  which  have  become  nec 
essary  equipments  of  a  well-appointed  hospital. 
Her  wards  were  finished  with  walls  of  galvanized 
iron,  with  white  enamel  paint,  rubber  tread  flooring, 
and  cemented  gutters.  The  berths  for  the  patients 
are  frames  made  of  one  and  a  half  inch  galvanized 
iron  pipe,  on  which  a  wire  mattress  was  strung. 
These  frames  rest  on  hooks  fastened  to  uprights 
made  of  two-inch  pipe.  The  berths  are  three  tiers 
deep  and  can  be  lifted  off  the  hooks,  so  when  neces 
sary  the  patient  can  be  taken  on  or  off  the  ship  on 
his  own  bed,  used  as  a  stretcher. 

An  operating  room  containing  an  X-ray  machine, 
and  one  for  surgical  dressing  was  supplemented  by 
a  clinical  laboratory  and  apothecary  shop.  The 
cold  storage  and  freezing  room,  a  steam  laundry 
and  ice  plant  capable  of  producing  three  and  a 
half  tons  a  day,  electric  fans,  and  a  library  of  two 
hundred  volumes,  selected  by  Mr.  H.  F.  Putnam, 
of  the  Boston  Public  Library,  were  principal  fea 
tures  of  the  ship,  all  of  which  had  been  planned 
and  arranged  under  the  direct  supervision  of  Dr. 
Burrell.  Without  restriction  of  any  kind  she  was 


14 


2io      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

fitted  out  with  every  device  and  kind  of  supply 
considered  necessary  or  desirable  for  the  good  of 
the  well  and  the  sick.  During  her  three  trips  she 
gave  away  where  needed  many  tons  of  supplies, 
sailors  as  well  as  soldiers  being  recipients  of  her 
bounty.  She  was  commanded  by  Capt.  Percival 
F.  Butman,  who  retained  the  majority  of  the  boat's 
old  crew. 

Her  medical  staff  was  composed  of  the  fol 
lowing  gentlemen,  who  volunteered  their  services: 
Surgeon  Superintendent,  Dr.  Herbert  L.  Burrell ; 
first  surgeon,  Dr.  E.  A.  Crockett;  second  surgeon, 
Dr.  J.  T.  Bottomley ;  first  assistant  surgeon,  Mr.  T. 
J.  Manahan ;  second  assistant  surgeon,  Mr.  C.  L. 
Spaulding;  purser,  Mr.  W.  H.  Seabury.  Head 
Nurse,  Miss  C.  W.  Cayford.  Nurses :  Miss  Janet 
Anderson,  Miss  Muriel  G.  Gait,  Miss  Anna  M. 
Blair,  Miss  Sadie  Parsons,  Miss  Sarah  Frazer. 
Bay  Men :  S.  Hooker,  F.  P.  Droese,  L.  L.  Kemp, 
W.  F.  Lyford,  Peter  Sylveson,  N.  E.  Nichols. 

Her  first  trip  was  made  to  Cuba,  where  she  left 
many  needed  supplies,  bringing  home  ninety-eight 
men  of  the  9th  Massachusetts  and  2d  U.  S.  V.  The 
second  trip  was  to  Porto  Rico,  when  she  returned 
with  one  hundred  men,  eighty-nine  of  whom  were 
6th  Massachusetts  volunteers.  On  this  trip  she 
left  Dr.  J.  Booth  Clarkson  as  representative  from 
the  Volunteer  Aid  Association,  together  with  Miss 


The  "Bay  State"  211 

/ 

Gait  and  Miss  Parsons,  who  volunteered  to  return 
to  the  hospital  in  Utuado. 

Her  third  and  last  trip  was  again  to  Arecibo  and 
Ponce,  when  she  brought  home  one  hundred  and 
thirty-six  men.  It  is  thus  seen  that  the  6th  Mas 
sachusetts  is  particularly  beholden  to  the  "  Bay 
State "  and  her  supporters.  The  account  of  how 
men  were  received  and  cared  for  on  board  is  best 
told  in  Mr.  Seabury's  paper  read  before  the  Bos 
ton  Society  for  Medical  Improvement,  which  is 
published  in  full.  The  discipline  on  board  was 
more  strict  than  that  of  camp,  every  possible  pre 
caution  as  to  food,  sleep,  air,  and  exercise  being 
given  the  men. 

The  writer  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  occasion 
to  go  on  board  the  "  Bay  State  "  during  her  second 
trip,  as  she  was  lying  off  Arecibo.  Immediately 
on  boarding  her  the  cup  of  hot  malted  milk  was  re 
ceived,  when  for  half  an  hour  I  sat  in  a  steamer 
chair,  persistently  refusing  to  have  a  tag  put  about 
my  neck.  Having  finally  convinced  the  nurses 
that  I  was  not  a  "  candidate,"  and  that  I  had 
been  in  the  saddle  for  eleven  hours,  I  was  allowed 
a  cup  of  tea  and  some  bread  and  butter.  This  was 
the  first  tea  or  butter  we  had  seen  since  leaving 
Boston.  Nothing  but  the  fear  of  being  "  tagged" 
by  force  as  an  unruly  invalid  limited  my  appe 
tite.  If  the  nurse  who  was  that  day  kind  to  a 


212       The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

dusty  private  ever  sees  this,  will  she  accept  his 
thanks  ? 

As  a  medium  between  the  citizens  of  Massachu 
setts  and  the  regiments,  guaranteeing  the  men  of 
the  familiarity  of  those  at  home  with  their  experi 
ences  and  needs,  the  importance  was  also  great. 
The  arrival  of  the  "  Bay  State  "  with  her  load  of 
private  boxes  for  the  men,  and  news  direct  from 
home,  was  a  comfort  inestimable.  It  was  the  white 
messenger  of  the  people  sent  to  the  front  as  a 
guarantee  of  support  and  sympathy. 

The  men  who  were  passengers  aboard  the  "  Bay 
State  "  are  the  most  enthusiastic  admirers  of  the 
surgeons  and  nurses,  and  cannot  say  too  much  of 
the  care  they  received  and  the  privileges  enjoyed. 

The  families  of  the  few  who  started  but  did  not 
arrive,  have  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  every 
possible  attention  and  aid  was  rendered  by  devoted 
friends  in  a  spirit  of  sacrifice  second  only  to  that 
of  the  man's  own  family. 

This  Commission  Witnesseth :  —  That  the  Massachu 
setts  Volunteer  Aid  Association  hereby  is  recognized  by 
the  Government  of  the  United  States  of  America  as  an 
Aid  Society  within  the  terms  of  Article  XIII.  of  the 
Geneva  (Red  Cross)  Convention,  during  the  pending 
war  between  the  United  States  of  America  and  the 
Kingdom  of  Spain;  that  said  Association  hereby  is 
expressly  authorized  to  fit  out  and  equip  at  its  own 
expense  a  Hospital  Ship  for  all  the  purposes  of  such  a 


The  "Bay  State"  213 

ship  during  said  war,  said  ship  to  be  named  '•  The  Bay 
State," — and  that  C.  A.  Siegfried,  Medical  Inspector 
of  the  United  States  Navy,  hereby  is  authorized  to  have 
control  of  said  hospital  ship  during  her  fitting  out  and 
on  her  final  departure,  and  to  issue  his  certificate  as  the 
proper  naval  authority  under  Article  XIII.  of  the 
Geneva  (Red  Cross)  Convention  aforesaid,  that  she  had 
been  so  placed  under  his  control,  and  that  she  is  then 
appropriated  solely  to  the  purposes  of  his  mission. 

Given  under  my  hand  at  Washington 

By  the  President.  this  23d  day  of  June,  in  the  year 

of  Our  Lord  one  thousand,  eight 

JOHN  D.  LoxG,  hundred  and  ninety-eight,  and  in 

/Secretary  of  the  Navii.  ,,      ..  ~~  ,  ,.   .,      T    , 

the  122d  year  of  the  Independence 

of  the  United  States. 

WILLIAM  McKixLEY. 


WAR  DEPARTMENT. 
WASHINGTON.  July  22,  1898. 

SIB:  —  The  Hospital  Ship  "Bay  State"  has  been 
fitted  out  by  the  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Aid  Associa 
tion,  and  has  been  commissioned  by  the  United  States 
Government  under  the  International  Red  Cross  Conven 
tion.  The  purpose  of  the  ship  under  the  direction  of 
its  surgeon  superintendent,  Dr.  H.  L.  Burrell,  is  to  aid 
the  medical  authorities  of  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the 
United  States  in  caring  for  the  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  and  sailors.  You  are  directed  to  aid  and  assist 
the  authorities  of  the  "  Bay  State  "  as  far  as  practicable. 

Very  respectfully, 
[Signed]  R.  A.  ALGEE, 

Secretary  of  War. 
To  THE  OFFICERS  COMMANDING  U.  S.  TROOPS. 


214      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

NAVY  DEPARTMENT. 
WASHINGTON,  July  22,  1898. 

SIR  :  _  The  Hospital  Ship  "  Bay  State  "  has  been 
fitted  out  by  ftie  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Aid  Associa 
tion,  and  has  been  commissioned  by  the  United  States 
Government  under  the  International  Red  Cross  Con 
vention.  The  purpose  of  the  ship  under  the  direction 
of  its  surgeon  superintendent,  Dr.  II.  L.  Burrell,  is  to 
aid  the  medical  authorities  of  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the 
United  States  in  caring  for  the  sick  and  wounded  sol 
diers  and  sailors.  You  are  directed  to  aid  and  assist  the 
authorities  of  the  "  Bay  State "  as  far  as  practicable. 
When  they  need  coal  and  cannot  otherwise  obtain  it, 
you  are  authorized  to  supply  it,  if  it  can  be  spared,  tak 
ing  a  receipt  in  duplicate  for  the  amount,  and  cash  or 
draft  on  Lee,  Higginson  &  Company,  of  Boston,  in 
payment.  Very  respectfully, 

[Signed]  JOHN  D.  LONG, 

Secretary. 

To  COMMANDING  OFFICERS  OF  UNITED  STATES  SQUADRONS 
AND  VESSELS. 

[Personal.] 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.  July  22,  1898. 

DEAR  DOCTOR  :  —  Permit  me  to  introduce  Dr.  H.  L. 
Burrell,  Surgeon  Superintendent  of  the  Massachusetts 
Aid  Society  Hospital  Ship  "  Bay  State."  He  goes  in 
charge  of  the  "Bay  State"  to  care  for  any  sick  or 
wounded  of  the  Army  and  Navy. 

I  hope  you  will  extend  him  all  the  facilities  in  your 
power  toward  the  accomplishment  of  his  good  work. 

Yours  very  truly, 
[Signed]  W.  K.  VAN  REYPEN, 

Surgeon  General  U.  S.  Navy. 

C.  M.  GRAVATT,  U.  S.  N.,  Fleet  Surgeon,  U.  S.  Flag-Ship  "New 
For*-." 


The  "Bay  State"  21  5 

WAR  DEPARTMENT.    SURGEON  GENERAL'S  OFFICE. 
WASHINGTON,  August  2,  1898. 

GENTLEMEN  :  —  The  Hospital  Ship  "  Bay  State,"  hav 
ing  been  equipped  and  fitted  out  by  the  Massachusetts 
Aid  Association,  is  in  charge  of  the  surgeon  superin 
tendent,  Dr.  Herbert  L.  Burrell,  and  I  have  requested 
him  to  render  such  supplementary  aid  and  assistance  to 
you  as  may  be  required. 

Very  truly  yours, 
[Signed]  GEORGE  M.  STERXBERG, 

Surgeon  General,  U.  S.  Army. 
To  THE  OFFICERS  OF  THE  MEDICAL  DEPARTMENT,  U.  S.  A. 


MR.  PRESIDENT,  AND  MEMBERS  OF  THE  BOSTOX  SO 
CIETY  FOR  MEDICAL  IMPROVEMENT:  — 

You  have  paid  me  a  great  compliment  in  inviting  me 
to  appear  before  you  this  evening,  to  give  you  some  idea 
of  what  my  duties  were  as  volunteer  purser  of  the 
Hospital  Ship  "  Bay  State." 

I  did  such  a  small  amount  of  work  on  the  ship  in 
comparison  to  what  others  did,  that  I  have  found  it 
rather  difficult  to  make  a  paper  containing  anything  of 
special  interest.  I  said  to  Dr.  Fitz  that  this  would  be 
an  entirely  new  departure  for  me,  but  I  felt  that  if  I 
could  say  anything  that  would  be  of  the  slightest  inter 
est  to  you  all,  I  ought  not  decline  the  polite  invitation. 
He  wishes  me  to  tell  you, 

What  I  had  to  do, 
What  I  had  to  do  with,  and 
How  I  did  it. 

What  I  had  to  do.  —  Make  myself  generally  useful  to 
our  surgeon  superintendent,  Dr.  Burrell ; 


2  1 6      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

Take  charge  of  all  the  finances  of  the  ship  ; 

Purchase  all  the  supplies  (those  relating  to  the  Hos 
pital  Department  excepted). 

Pay  all  bills,  wages  of  crew,  etc ; 

Receive  requisitions  for  supplies  of  all  kinds,  from 
hospitals  and  troops,  have  them  approved  by  the  sur 
geon  superintendent,  see  that  they  were  delivered  and 
receipted  for; 

To  keep  a  general  idea  of  what  food  supplies  we  had 
on  hand,  and  say  whether  we  could  spare  them  from  our 
stores  or  not ; 

Receive  the  patients  on  shore  in  tents,  or  on  the  main 
deck  of  the  ship ; 

Give  each  one  a  number,  take  their  names,  and  tem 
perature,  also  their  valuables.  All  this  was  recorded  by 
me  in  a  book  at  the  time. 

When  a  requisition  for  supplies  was  received  (and 
nothing  was  delivered  without  a  written  requisition ), 
it  was  delivered  into  three  different  lists,  one  for  Medi 
cal  Supplies,  one  for  Clothing,  and  one  for  the  Food. 
These  were  handed  to  the  heads  of  departments,  and 
they  saw  that  the  articles  were  issued  and  turned  over 
to  me.  I  saw  them  delivered  and  receipted  for. 

What  I  had  to  do  with.  —  Everything  in  a  Commis 
sary's  Department  that  I  could  think  of  or  that  others 
could  suggest.  I  was  not  limited  as  to  expenditure, 
nor  hampered  in  the  slightest  degree. 

My  instructions  were,  obtain  what  you  think  best, 
and  have  it  all  of  the  first  quality.  And  what  pleasure 
it  was  for  me  to  labor  under  such  instructions ! 

The  food  supplies  were  stored  in  six  of  the  eleven 
large  storerooms  or  lockers  in  the  lower  hold,  the 
other  five  being  used  for  a  part  of  the  hospital  supplies. 


The  "  Bay  State''  217 

On  the  deck  over  these  storerooms,  there  was  a  large 
space  enclosed  with  an  iron  grating,  which  I  called  the 
Grocery  Shop.  Our  daily  wants  were  supplied  from 
this. 

Our  supplies  consisted  of  in  part,  that  is  for  one  trip, 

10,000  Ibs.  Fresh  Beef,  500  Ibs.  Mutton,  600  Ibs. 
Poultry,  2,000  Eggs,  500  Ibs.  Fresh  Butter,  Fresh  Vege 
tables,  and  Fruits  in  variety.  All  kinds  of  Canned 
Goods,  Evaporated  Cream. 

25  to  50  loaves  of  bread  were  baked  each  day. 

60  gals,  of  Ice  Cream  (this  kept  in  perfect  condition, 
and  the  last  was  distributed  to  the  patients  the  day 
before  our  arrival  home). 

Our  Ice  Machine  made  three  tons  a  day. 

Temperature  of  Freezing  Room  about  28. 

Temperature  of  Cold  Storage  about  34. 

Liquors  of  all  kinds,  Mineral  Waters,  Ginger  Ale, 
Pipes,  Tobacco,  and  Cigarettes. 

The  supply  of  Fresh  Beef  was  reduced  somewhat  on 
the  second  and  third  trips. 

How  I  did  it.  —  System  of  Receiving  Patients.  At 
Santiago  we  had  three  tents  on  shore  (thanks  to  Maj. 
L.  C.  Carr,  Volunteer  Surgeon  from  Ohio,  who  was  of 
the  greatest  assistance  to  us  in  providing  the  tents,  and 
locating  them  for  us). 

The  patients  came  to  us  in  ambulances  from  the  Hos 
pital  near  San  Juan  Hill.  (Some  of  these  ambulances 
were  upset  or  broke  down  on  the  way.  The  road  was 
almost  impassable,  and  as  there  were  two  tiers  of 
stretchers  in  each  ambulance,  the  patients  were  terribly 
shaken  up.) 

They  were  brought  into  my  tent  first,  where  Drs. 
Manahan  or  Bottomley  questioned  them  or  their  officers 


218      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

in  regard  to  their  previous  condition.  If  a  patient  was 
very  ill,  he  was  given  an  odd  number  which  signified  a 
lower  berth  on  the  ship,  that  he  might  be  more  easily 
attended;  otherwise,  he  was  given  an  even  number, 
which  called  for  an  upper  berth. 

These  numbers  were  small  nickel  tags  on  a  cord, 
which  was  passed  over  the  patient's  head,  and  hung 
about  his  neck.  This  number  corresponded  to  his  berth 
number  on  the  ship. 

It  was  not  customary  in  speaking  of  a  patient  to 
mention  his  name ;  he  was  known  by  his  number.  His 
temperature  was  taken  by  Miss  Gait.  His  valuables 
taken,  put  in  an  envelope  marked  with  his  number.  He 
was  then  given  a  canvas  bag,  the  number  of  which  cor 
responded  to  the  number  already  given  him. 

This  bag  contained  a  complete  outfit,  consisting  of  a 
brown  duck  suit,  underclothes,  slippers,  and  soft  hat. 
He  was  then  taken,  with  his  bag,  into  either  one  of  the 
other  tents,  where  he  was  stripped,  given  a  sponge  bath 
of  corrosive  sublimate  by  a  Bay  Man  (there  were  two 
in  each  tent),  his  new  outfit  put  on,  his  uniform  put 
back  into  his  bag  (which  was  sterilized  later  on  the 
ship),  and  he  was  sent  aboard  the  ship  in  the  launch. 

It  took  us  eight  minutes  on  the  average,  from  the  time 
a  patient  entered  my  tent  until  he  was  off  for  the  ship. 
This  system  of  receiving  the  patients,  so  simple  yet  so 
perfect,  the  rapidity  with  which  it  was  accomplished, 
astonished  the  army  officers  who  witnessed  it,  and  they 
complimented  us  highly. 

At  Arecibo,  this  work  was  done  on  the  ship,  as  the 
patients  were  received  late  in  the  day,  and  it  was 
thought  best  to  get  them  on  board  as  soon  as  possible. 

At  Ponce  we  took  on  nine  patients  only,   and  our 


The  "Bay  State"  219 

work  was  carried  on  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  Custom 
House. 

When  the  ship  reached  Boston,  the  patients  were 
returned  their  valuables  and  canvas  bags,  which  they 
took  with  them  when  they  left. 

And  now,  Mr.  President,  just  a  word  or  two  about 
our  surgeon  superintendent.  He  has  said  so  many 
kind  things  of  those  under  him,  that  I  cannot  let  this 
opportunity  go  by  without  expressing  my  opinion  of  our 
"  General,"  as  we  called  him.  While  giving  due  credit 
to  all  others  connected  with  the  ship  for  their  noble 
work,  I  must  say  that  it  was  to  the  wonderful  executive 
ability  of  Dr.  Herbert  Burrell  that  the  record  made  by 
the  "  Bay  State  "  will  serve  as  a  standard  for  all  relief 
expeditions  of  this  kind.  He  went  forth  with  the  well 
defined  purpose  of  doing  all  the  good  possible,  as 
speedily  and  as  directly  as  it  could  be  accomplished. 

Zeal  was  supplemented  with  brains. 

W.  H.  SEABUKY, 

Volunteer  Purser,  Hospital  Ship  "Bay  State." 
BOSTON,  Xov.  21,  1898. 

The  following  verses  were  read  November  22, 
1898,  in  response  to  the  toast  of  "The  Ladies" 
on  the  occasion  of  the  Tavern  Club  Dinner  in 
honor  of  those  who  did  service  in  connection  with 
the  hospital  ship,  "Bay  State." 

You  ask  me  to  speak  on  behalf  of  the  ladies 
Who  shone  in  our  bout  with  the  cohorts  of  Cadiz : 
You  ask  me  to  speak  on  behalf  of  the  nurses,  — 
And  with  your  permission  I  '11  do  it  in  verses. 


220      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

"  The  Ladies,  God  bless  them !     The  toast  never  varies 
Prom  Alaska's  cold  snows  to  the  sunny  Canaries. 
Man  fills  up  his  goblet  and  drains  it  while  drinking, 
But  the  sentiment  lies  in  the  thought  which  he  's  thinking. 

Those  dear  little  dolls  with  their  pretty  grimaces, 
Their  kittenish  ways  and  their  delicate  faces, 
Are  precious  to  some  because  dainty  and  fearful. 
Adorably  helpless,  and  readily  tearful. 

The  house-wives  with  tact,  rather  plump  and  good  looking, 

Nice,  amiable  souls  with  a  genius  for  cooking, 

Are  popular  still  with  the  saint  and  the  sinner,  — 

When  the  chair  cries  "  The  Ladies !  "  man  thinks  of  his  dinner. 

The  daughter  of  Spain  with  the  night  in  her  hair, 
With  the  sloe  in  her  eye  and  an  indolent  air, 
Entrances  her  lover  who  taps  at  the  pane : 
Delicious  !     But  where  are  the  navies  of  Spain  ? 

That  new  woman  is  fair  no  man  needs  to  be  told, 
She  has  night  in  her  hair,  she  has  tresses  of  gold. 
But  what  makes  her  precious  for  you  and  for  me 
Is  the  soul  which  is  in  her,  —  the  soul  which  is  free ; 

Which,  bursting  the  fetters  of  fashion  and  caste, 
Undeterred  by  tradition  and  deaf  to  the  past, 
Seeks  a  post  in  the  ranks,  claims  the  right  to  a  place 
Wherever  her  presence  can  succor  the  race ; 

Wherever  there  's  room  for  sweet  patience  and  care, 
For  love  which  complains  not,  and  courage  to  bear 
The  stress  of  life's  battles  —  albeit  to  tread 
A  hospital  ship  in  the  wake  of  the  dead. 


Miss  SADIE  PARSONS. 


The  "Bay  State"  223 

Humanity  calls  and  undaunted  she  stands. 
There  is  sweat  on  her  brow,  there  is  blood  on  her  hands. 
Ho  !  dames  with  traditions,  does  this  give  you  pain  1 
Take  heed,  and  remember  the  navies  of  Spain. 

"  The  Ladies,  God  bless  them  !."     Long  life  to  the  toast! 

A  health  to  the  nurses  who  served  at  their  post 

In  a  hospital  ship  on  a  hurricane  sea 

For  the  sake  of  our  country,  for  you,  and  for  me. 

[Signed]  ROBERT  GRANT. 


224     The  Sixth  Massachusetts 


CHAPTER  X 

ARECIBO 

THE  attitude  of  the  Spaniards  towards  the 
American  soldiers  who  were  inside  their 
lines  on  business  at  Arecibo  during  the  protocol 
was  courteous  to  an  unexpected  degree  and  showed 
a  spirit  that  our  men  could  not  have  surpassed. 
This  at  a  time  when  peace  was  not  a  certainty, 
and  when  one  or  two  individuals  were  at  the 
mercy  of  hundreds  of  soldiers;  yet  no  offence, 
by  word  or  jest,  was  on  any  occasion  shown. 
Later,  when  the  troops  were  together  in  the  same 
city,  a  friendliness  that  grewr  into  intimacy  in  a 
day  began  to  rule.  The  exchange  of  souvenirs, 
including  buttons,  buckles,  belts,  and  anything  that 
was  characteristic  of  the  army,  took  place  in  the 
cafes  over  whatever  the  pockets  of  the  men  could 
afford. 

During  the  protocol  four  of  our  men  went  to  San 
Juan  with  the  paymaster's  boxes,  travelling  in  a  car 
filled  with  Spanish  soldiers,  landing  at  San  Juan  at 
ten  o'clock  at  night  as  entire  strangers,  the  only 
American  soldiers  in  the  city.  That  this  was  done 


Arecibo 


225 


not  only  without  an  unpleasant  experience  but  on 
the  other  hand  with  courteous  treatment  from  our 
fellow  passengers  in  the  train,  who  were  urgent  in 
their  invitation  to  drink  with  them,  is  another  con 
firmation  of  the  kindly  spirit  pervading  the  ranks. 


SPANISH  SOLDIERS  ENTERTAINING  AMERICAN  SOLDIERS. 

Later  our  soldiers  became  the  guests  of  the  Spanish 
soldiers,  and  on  more  than  one  occasion  "messed  ?? 
with  them  in  their  quarters. 

That  this  feeling  was  not  the  same  for  the 
natives  was  shown  by  the  constant  hostilities 
between  them. 

The  natives  could  not  understand  why  the 
Spaniards  were  not  only  undisturbed  but  that  their 
property  and  lives  were  protected  by  the  American 

15 


226      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

army  which  had  so  recently  been  their  enemy. 
Such  were  the  conditions  when  a  feud,  originating 
in  a  private  quarrel  between  a  Spanish  soldier 
and  a  native  of  Arecibo  over  a  woman,  ended  in 
the  shooting  and  killing  in  cold  blood  of  five 
natives  by  this  soldier  and  some  comrades,  who 
had  secreted  their  guns  at  night,  which  they  used 
with  fatal  effect  against  natives  armed  only  with 
machetes.  This  happened  October  9,  afternoon, 
Sunday  being,  as  in  Spain,  the  principal  holiday 
of  the  week,  when  the  news  spread  like  wild-fire 
throughout  the  town  and  country.  Within  two 
hours  after  the  shooting,  from  every  by-way  and 
road  came  crowds  by  the  hundreds,  armed  with  the 
ever-present  machete,  flocking  towards  town,  gestic 
ulating  and  yelling,  vowing  death  to  the  Spaniards 
and  destruction  to  the  city.  \Vhat  promised  to  be 
a  terrible  calamity  of  ravage  and  fire  was  averted 
only  by  the  timely  arrival  of  Company  E,  who, 
under  the  relaxation  of  rules  relative  to  bringing 
supplies  through  the  lines,  were  brought  in  on 
order  of  Lieutenant  Talbot,  stationed  at  that  time 
in  Arecibo,  at  the  request  of  the  British  consul, 
to  furnish  a  guard  for  the  consulate.  The  co- 
mandante  proclaimed  martial  law,  closing  every 
store  and  shop  in  Arecibo,  and  cleared  the  streets, 
but  with  an  excitable  population  of  thousands, 
hidden  behind  doors  and  blinds,  all  on  the  qui  live 


Arecibo  227 

for  the  threatened  danger  and  anticipated  disaster. 
Only  the  arrival  of  Company  E  and  the  proximity 
of  Companies  H,  F,  K,  and  L,  who  arrived  with 
Major  Darling  at  the  outposts  the  following  day, 
prevented  an  outbreak  as  a  climax  to  the  condition 


THREE  OF  A  KIND. 


of  affairs  that  would  have  been  a  national  tragedy. 
Company  F  immediately  on  arrival  relieved  the 
Spanish  guard  in  Arecibo. 

Meantime  the  preparation  for  the  evacuation  of 
the  Spanish  troops  was  hurried,  final  arrangements 
being  made  for  their  departure  on  Tuesday,  Octo 
ber  11.  During  the  intervening  days  every  squad 
of  Spanish  soldiers  which  passed  through  the 
streets  did  so  with  loaded  guns  or  protected  by 
an  armed  guard,  in  this  way  only  avoiding  violence 


228      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

at  the  hands  of  the  natives.  The  English  consul 
did  not  venture  from  his  house  excepting  under 
the  protection  of  an  American  guard  with  guns 
loaded. 

The  home  of  Mr.  David  Wilson,  the  English 
consul  in  Porto  Rico,  became  headquarters  for  our 
troops  in  Arecibo.  Mr.  Wilson  was  not  only 
untiring  in  his  kind  offices  for  the  Americans  and 
an  invaluable  aid  in  his  knowledge  of  the  people 
and  political  situation  on  the  island,  but  he  dis 
pensed  a  cordial  hospitality  from  his  home,  which 
made  the  officers  and  privates  alike  regret  leaving 
his  town. 

Mr.  Carrion,  formerly  the  American  consul  at 
Porto  Pdco,  was  also  zealous  in  his  kind  offices  of 
hospitality,  keeping  open  house  to  the  extent  of 
making  his  home  literally  the  home  of  Americans. 

October  10.  Major  Darling  received  orders  to 
leave  IT tuado  for  Arecibo  with  Companies  I,  H,  K, 
and  L,  from  which  place  II  was  to  go  to  Manati 
and  K  to  Barcelonita.  The  command  arrived  at 
Dr.  Watlington's  estate,  two  miles  from  Arecibo, 
at  4  P.  M.,  where  it  spent  the  night,  not  occupying 
Arecibo  until  the  following  day. 

October  11.  When  the  hour  set  for  the  evacua 
tion  of  the  Spaniards  arrived,  a  guard  of  Ameri 
can  soldiers  was  posted,  reaching  from  the  station 
into  the  city,  with  instructions  to  see  that  no 


Arecibo  231 

Spaniard  was  molested  on  the  way  to  the  train. 
At  three  o'clock,  the  time  agreed  upon  for  the 
evacuation,  the  seven  hundred  Spanish  soldiers 
marched  from  their  barracks  and  lined  up  by 
companies  on  either  side  of  the  Cathedral,  while 
our  troops  took  a  position  facing  the  Cathedral 
in  front  of  the  City  Hall.  The  formalities  at 
tendant  upon  the  transfer  of  the  city  were  in 
charge  of  Major  Darling,  wrho  received  from  the 
authorities  the  necessary  instructions  and  papers 
to  enable  him  to  assume  immediately  the  func 
tions  of  the  departing  comandante.  The  wife 
of  this  officer,  with  her  face  buried  in  her  hand 
kerchief,  was  driven  quickly  from  the  Plaza  to 
the  train  past  the  English  consulate,  where  a 
weeping  good-by  was  said  to  the  family  of  the 
consul. 

Immediately  afterwards  the  troops  moved 
quickly  and  quietly  by  companies  to  the  train, 
followed  by  the  comandante,  who  had  asked,  as 
a  special  favor,  that  the  American  flag  might  not 
be  raised  until  his  face  was  turned  towards  Spain. 
Every  precaution  had  been  taken  to  grant  this 
request,  when  in  the  middle  of  the  ceremonies 
a  shout  arose,  as  a  small  flag  fluttered  up  from 
a  neighboring  balcony,  up  side  down  to  be  sure, 
but  nevertheless  the  "Stars  and  Stripes."  Order 
was  restored  only  when  this  was  hauled  down 


232       The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

and  the  ceremony  proceeded.  As  the  comandante 
rode  away,  the  rope  of  the  flag  staff  on  top 
the  City  Hall  began  to  vibrate,  when  although 
the  flag  was  not  yet  visible,  the  shouting  began, 
continuing  until  a  large  new  flag,  caught  by  the 
breeze,  was  unfurled  over  the  top  cornice  of  the 
building.  Cheer  after  cheer  and  storms  of  ap 
plause  rent  the  air.  All  the  pent  up  excitement 
and  enthusiasm  of  this  excitable  race  broke  loose, 
when  that  event  to  which  they  had  so  long  looked 
forward  was  consummated.  One  excitable  negro 
on  a  broken-down  horse  with  a  long  trailing  flag 
heading  a  procession  of  the  lower  order  of  the 
populace,  paraded  the  streets  with  all  the  excitable 
spirit  of  an  anarchist  mob.  No  outbreak,  however, 
occurred,  and  shops  and  houses  were  again  opened 
and  peace  was  restored. 

Following  the  troops  to  the  station,  the  writer 
was  standing  behind  the  comandante,  when  a 
soldier  who  had  deserted  from  his  company  but 
now  returned  to  get  transportation  to  Spain,  was 
brought  up  to  him.  The  officer  looked  at  the 
man,  struck  him  first  with  the  back  of  his  hand 
in  the  face,  then  with  his  fist,  finally  across  the 
face  with  his  walking  stick,  while  the  soldier  stood 
and  trembled  like  a  kicked  cur,  and  then  crawled 
away  to  hide  himself  among  his  comrades,  no 
indication  by  sign  or  word  being  made  by  the 


Arecibo  233 

soldiers  of  the  action  of  the  comaridante  being 
an  unusual  or  unnatural  one. 

The  natives  after  the  murder  on  Sunday  finding 
themselves  debarred  from  entering  the  city  and 
foiled  in  their  plan  of  revenge  by  violence  to 
Spanish  soldiers,  had  resorted  to  the  subterfuge 
of  burning  the  haciendas  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Arecibo.  Sunday  night  fourteen  were  burned, 
the  following  evening  twenty-one,  and  an  equal 
number  on  Wednesday  night.  When  we  turned 
from  the  ceremonies  attendant  upon  evacuation, 
from  every  hill-top  was  rising  a  column  of  smoke, 
telling  the  story  of  burning  homes  (one  of  which 
was  the  country  residence  of  their  priest,  who  has 
been  many  years  in  Arecibo  and  is  much  beloved 
by  the  people),  as  a  defiant  message  to  the  de 
parting  army  of  their  hatred  and  contempt  for 
them. 

The  trouble  between  Spaniards  and  natives 
reached  far  back  into  the  country,  wherever  there 
was  a  house  or  property  worth  molesting  which 
belonged  to  their  old  masters.  The  law  forbid 
ding  firearms  to  be  kept  in  the  possession  of  any 
citizen  rendered  a  planter  almost  helpless  against 
a  crowd  of  natives  bent  on  pillaging,  while  the 
national  timidity  characterizing  this  people  added 
to  their  alarm.  In  the  presence  of  one  soldier, 
they  became  brave  and  talked  fearlessly ;  but  when 


234      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

left  alone  they  showed  the  greatest  terror,  and 
would  ride  miles  to  ask  for  a  detail  for  the  pro 
tection  of  their  property.  If  all  such  requests 
made  had  been  granted,  it  would  have  taken  as 
many  regiments  as  we  had  men.  The  policy 
adopted  was  that  of  placing  a  company  in  the 


CHARITY. 

most  prominent  towns,  where  the  captain  became 
the  acting  mayor  or  alcalde,  and  from  which  point 
of  vantage  small  details  of  men  would  be  sent  into 
the  country. 

While  in  these  places,  the  officers  and  men 
received  every  attention  from  the  natives,  and  in 
return  the  natives  received  uniform  consideration 
and  courteous  treatment  at  the  hands  of  the 
soldiers.  The  owners  of  many  haciendas  who  had 


Arecibo  235 

opened  their  doors  to  privates  of  the  6th  as  a 
military  guard  closed  them  behind  them  as  warm 
friends.  That  the  attitude  of  the  6th  towards  the 
natives  had  been  that  of  a  guest  rather  than  of 
a  conqueror  was  the  uniform  opinion  held  on  the 
island. 

That  the  natives  hated  the  Spaniards  with  the 
intensity  of  the  savage  can  hardly  be  wondered  at 
when  one  hears  the  stories  of  oppression  and  per 
secution  which  have  characterized  the  Spaniards' 
treatment  of  them  for  years.  Stories  too  dreadful 
to  put  in  print  were  told  by  unquestionable  author 
ity  of  indignities  which  had  been  endured  at  the 
hands  of  the  Spaniards,  and  for  which  there  had 
been  no  redress  and  no  appeal. 

The  society  known  as  the  "Black  Hand,"  similar 
to  the  old  Ku-klux  of  the  South,  whose  warning 
symbol  was  the  impress  of  the  hand  in  black  on 
the  door,  was  the  terror  of  the  island.  Morning 
inspection  took  place  at  early  dawn  to  see  if  this 
hand  of  destiny  had  been  placed  on  the  panel,  and 
if  it  had  it  meant  "  to  git/' 

The  members  of  this  society  were  in  great  de 
mand,  and  a  number  of  them  were  caught  by  our 
soldiers  at  different  times  during  the  summer. 

With  the  departure  of  the  Spanish  troops,  all 
their  sick  were  taken  from  the  hospital  at  Arecibo, 
leaving  only  a  few  natives  as  patients.  It  was  im- 


236      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

perative  to  have  this  for  the  use  of  our  sick  as 
they  were  transferred  from  Utuado,  and  as  there 
was  another  building  which  furnished  ample  ac 
commodation  for  the  few  natives  it  was  no  hard 
ship  for  them.  The  authorities  resented  having 
to  give  up  the  hospital,  not  considering  the  order 
as  one  to  he  obeyed  until  warned,  after  several 
delays,  that  if  the  building  was  not  vacated  the 
following  morning  our  men  would  move  the  pa 
tients  out  themselves.  This  final  order  accom 
plished  the  result  desired.  The  chapel  of  the 
hospital,  being  a  Roman  Catholic  one,  was  locked 
and  sealed. 

This  hospital  was  one  of  the  best  buildings  in 
Porto  Rico,  built  in  a  square  with  a  broad  colon 
nade  running  about  the  inside  court.  To  our  men 
who  had  been  lying  for  weeks  in  the  rough  coffee 
warehouses  down  in  the  valley,  and  who  arrived 
exhausted  from  the  long  journey  over  almost  im 
passable  roads  in  army  wagons,  the  change  was 
like  magic.  To  look  out  on  one  side  through  a 
row  of  Greek  columns  into  a  court  filled  with 
palms  and  flowers,  and  on  the  other  down  the 
slope  to  the  sea,  breathing  the  first  time  for  months 
the  bracing  salt  air  which  came  off  the  sea  that 
was  the  way  home,  was  like  a  dream  after  the 
realities  experienced. 

October  13.    Colonel  Rice  arrived  in  Arecibo  with 


MAJOR  GKORGE  H.  PRIEST. 


Arecibo  239 

Company  A,  in  command  of  Major  Gihon,  Com 
pany  D  having  remained  in  Utuado  with  Major 
Priest,  where  Lieutenant  Colonel  Ames  also  re 
mained  in  charge  of  the  civil  affairs  of  the  dis 
trict,  Major  Darling  being  assigned  to -like  duty  in 
Arecibo. 

Immediately  after  the  evacuation  of  Arecibo 
local  politics  began  to  work,  in  intriguing  and  plot 
ting  for  the  control  of  the  city.  Not  until  told  in 
a  peremptory  manner  that  they  could  neither  dic 
tate  the  policy  of  administration,  nor  influence  the 
officers,  and  until  they  had  found  that  the  "  gov 
ernor  pro  tern."  was  obdurate  alike  to  persuasion 
and  threats,  did  they  begin  to  realize  that  a  just 
and  law-abiding  people  were  to  be  their  sponsors, 
who,  fearless  of  threats  and  obdurate  to  bribes, 
would  inaugurate  a  system  of  honest  government 
for  the  people,  before  unknown  to  them ;  one  just 
to  all  and  administered  regardless  of  past  relation 
ships  existing  between  natives  and  Spaniards. 

The  native  guards  were  timid  to  a  degree,  and 
under  no  circumstances  would  they  appear  in  time 
of  trouble  alone.  They  moved  about  in  twos  and 
threes,  or  as  many  as  could  get  together.  Appli 
cation  was  made  in  notes  such  as  the  following : 

Will  give  one  pair  soldiers  for  the  respect  they  in 
spire  where  they  are. 

Yours  respectfully. 


240      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

The  fire  patrol  of  Arecibo  was  gorgeous  in 
shining  brass  helmets  and  flaming  red  coats,  re 
minding  one  vividly  of  the  Roman  guard  of  a 
cheap  theatre.  Boys  of  not  over  fifteen  or  sixteen 
figured  conspicuously  in  this  capacity. 

The  absolute  terror  of  the  guards  of  the  jail  in 
Arecibo  of  being  left  alone  to  guard  a  desperate 
criminal  who  had  been  captured  by  our  soldiers, 
was  laughable.  They  had  faith  neither  in  the  bars 
of  the  jail  nor  in  the  welded  fetters  by  which  he 
was  held,  but  begged  piteouslj  for  a  United  States 
guard,  assuring  the  major  that  "  he  always  got 
away."  A  wag  appeared  at  the  cell  of  the  crimi 
nal  with  a  pail,  and  when  asked  what  he  wanted, 
he  said  he  had  "  come  to  bail  him  out." 

At  the  end  of  a  ride  of  over  twenty  miles  from 
Utuado  to  Arecibo,  the  gentleman  from  San  Juan 
with  whom  I  was  riding,  stopped  and  spoke  to  a 
native  standing  by  the  roadside  with  a  trunk. 
When  asked  if  the  native  was  in  trouble  he 
replied,  "  Oh,  no ;  that  is  my  servant  bringing  my 
trunk  to  the  station." 

The  servant  had  walked  that  distance  with  the 
trunk  on  his  head  over  a  mountain  trail,  and  no 
more  was  thought  of  it  than  would  be  of  an  express 
company  here  taking  a  trunk  to  the  station. 

October  14.  Company  G,  commanded  by  Capt. 
Wm.  Fair  weather,  left  Arecibo  at  3  P.M.  for  Bay  a- 


Arecibo  241 

mon,  where  formal  possession  was  taken  the  follow 
ing  day. 

October  15.  Colonel  Kice  received  a  telegram 
saying  "  Sixth  Massachusetts  to  go  to  the  States 
on  transport  '  Mississippi '  from  San  Juan." 

Captain  Barrett  with  Company  M  arrived  from 
Utuado  at  6  P.M.,  having  come  like  the  other  com 
panies  over  the  mountain  trail. 

October  17.  Four  companies  of  the  6th  U.  S.  V. 
immunes  arrived  in  Arecibo  at  6  P.M,  and  were 
located  as  follows :  one  company  going  to  Utuado 
to  relieve  Company  B,  one  to  Lares  to  relieve  C, 
one  to  Isabella  to  relieve  Company  E,  the  fourth 
replacing  Company  I  at  Camuy. 

October  18.  Four  more  companies  arrived  at 
Arecibo,  relieving  Companies  A,  F,  L,  and  M  of 
the  6th  Massachusetts. 

Colonel  Rice,  with  headquarters'  band  and  Com 
panies  A,  F?  L,  and  M  left  Arecibo  by  rail,  arriving 
at  San  Juan  about  4  P.M.,  when  A  and  F  went 
aboard  the  transport  "  Mississippi,''  L  and  M  not 
getting  aboard  until  the  following  morning. 

October  19.  Companies  H,  I,  and  K  arrived  in 
San  Juan  about  10.30,  followed  in  the  evening  by 
C,  D,  E,  and  G,  all  going  at  once  aboard  the  "  Mis 
sissippi  "  and  settling  in  their  assigned  quarters. 


16 


242      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 


CHAPTER    XI 

PORTO    RICO 

PORTO  RTCO  lias  until  lately  been  in  the  minds 
of  the  public  a  far-off  and  inaccessible  little 
island,  but  owing  to  its  being  a  Spanish  posses 
sion  and  a  scene  of  a  part  of  the  late  war,  it  has 
suddenly  sprung  into  notoriety  and  received  an 
importance  and  prominence  out  of  all  proportion 
to  its  size.  Whether  its  development  as  an  Ameri 
can  colony  will  equal  in  results  the  notoriety  already 
gained  by  this  beautiful  little  island  remains  to  be 
seen.  The  island,  measuring  about  one  hundred 
miles  in  length  by  about  forty  in  width,  is  traversed 
in  length  and  breadth  by  mountain  ranges  from 
which  numerous  streams  carry  the  surplus  water 
down  to  the  sea,  their  course  furnishing  in  many 
cases  the  only  route  through  the  mountains,  water 
ing  the  rich  lowlands  extending  from  the  base  of 
the  mountains  to  the  sea,  which  together  with  the 
mountain  slopes  make  available  every  quality  of 
land  in  a  great  range  of  temperature,  affording  the 
opportunity  for  the  cultivation  of  anything  that 
grows.  The  lowlands  are  appropriated  mostly  by 


Porto  Rico  243 

the  sugar-cane  and  tobacco  plantations,  while  the 
slopes  of  the  mountains  are  given  up  to  the  coffee 
and  banana  fields.  Cocoanuts  grow  over  all  the 
lowlands,  there  being  about  San  Juan  literally 
cocoanut  forests,  each  tree  bearing  a  number  of 
cocoanuts  that  seems  incredible  to  us  in  the  North, 
which  are  peddled  about  the  streets  of  San  Juan 
in  the  early  morning,  taking  the  place  of  soda 
water  to  the  thirsty  pedestrians. 

The  island  was  discovered  by  Columbus  in  1492 
on  his  second  voyage  to  America,  the  first  town 
being  founded  in  1510  by  Ponce  de  Leon,  now 
known  as  Puerto  Viejo,  and  in  1511  the  better 
known  city  of  San  Juan.  The  beauty  and  fertility 
of  the  island  at  once  appealed  to  a  population 
which  in  its  occupation  soon  subdued  and  swept 
away  the  native  inhabitants.  A  series  of  invasions 
followed  one  another:  in  1595  one  by  Drake;  in 
1598  by  the  Earl  of  Cumberland ;  the  Dutch  at 
tacked  the  Castillo  Delmono  in  1615  ;  the  English 
made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  in  1678  and  in  1797. 
The  struggle  of  the  Porto  Ricans  for  independence 
in  1820  was  defeated,  and  the  Spanish  supremacy 
again  was  supreme  in  1823.  Slavery  has  been 
general  over  the  island,  it  being  abolished  only 
in  1873. 

The  population  is  made  up  of  a  variety  of  people 
that  is  truly  cosmopolitan  so  far  as  representation 


244      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

by  races  is  concerned.  Between  the  titled  Spaniard 
and  the  blackest  blacks  whose  parents  a  generation 
ago  were  brought  as  slaves  from  Africa,  are  found 
Chinese,  English,  French,  Cubans,  and  Portuguese, 
forming  a  heterogeneous  population  the  future  of 
which  no  man  can  foresee. 

If  there  is  a  court  life  where  education  and 
refinement  are  dominant  factors,  on  the  other  hand 
there  is  the  great  majority  who  are  ignorant  and 
stupid. 

In  the  very  shadow  of  the  cathedral  at  Arecibo 
takes  place  every  Sunday  afternoon  a  native  Afri 
can  dance  to  the  music  of  tom-toms,  as  wild  and 
weird  as  though  it  were  in  the  jungles  of  Africa. 

With  the  peculiarity  of  all  tropical  countries, 
where  the  people  and  vegetation  seem  to  grow  in 
inverse  ratio,  the  more  profuse  and  luxuriant  the 
vegetable  life  the  lower  the  order  of  physical. 

The  ignorance  of  the  lower  classes  is  appalling. 
Some  idea  of  their  interest  in  religion  may  be 
gathered  from  the  following:  The  district  of 
Utuado  has  a  population  of  about  forty  thou 
sand.  But  one  church,  the  Catholic,  exists  for  the 
entire  number,  and  only  about  two  hundred  of 
the  forty  thousand  profess  to  have  any  connection 
with  the  church,  and  of  the  two  hundred  very  few 
go  to  mass.  These  figures  will  not  need  verifica 
tion  to  the  regiment.  Father  Sherman's  very  signi- 


Porto  Rico  247 

ficant  remark,  when  he  preached  in  Utuado,  that 
he  had  to  brush  the  cobwebs  from  the  pulpit  as 
lie  entered  it,  is  the  key  to  the  understanding  the 
lack  of  instruction,  and  the  prevailing  ignorance 
existing  among  this  large  population,  the  great  pro 
portion  of  whom  can  neither  read  nor  write. 

Every  town  of  any  size  has  a  pretentious  church, 
but  these  with  the  exception  of  San  Juan  are,  like 
the  poorer  churches  of  Spain  and  Italy,  tawdry  in 
their  decorations  and  appointments.  At  San  Juan, 
however,  there  are  two  or  three  quite  worthy  of 
note  besides  the  cathedral,  which  latter  would  bear 
a  star  in  Baedeker. 

Father  Thomas  E.  Sherman,  who  has  been  on 
the  island  for  some  months,  says  in  his  report  to 
General  Brooke :  — 

"  The  state  of  religion  on  the  island  is  very  unsatis 
factory.  Though  in  every  town  of  any  size  there  is 
found  a  large  and  handsome  edifice,  the  services  are 
very  poorly  attended.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  island, 
with  few  exceptions,  are  nominally  at  least  Roman 
Catholics.  Very  few  of  the  men  are  more  than  Catho 
lic  in  name.  They  are  baptized,  married,  and  buried 
by  the  priests ;  that  is  the  extent  of  their  Catholicism. 

"  There  are  many  schools,  both  in  town  and  in  coun 
try.  Those  in  the  country  are  poorly  and  irregularly 
attended.  The  children  are  bright  and  quick,  develop 
earlier  than  ours,  and  many  are  capable  of  learning  to 
read  and  write  much  sooner  than  the  American  children. 
The  prompt  sending  of  teachers  of  the  lower  grades 


248      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

acquainted  with  both  English  and  Spanish  would  be 
the  best  step  to  facilitate  a  change  in  the  system  of 
educations  and  to  enable  the  rising  generation  to  become 
Americanized. 

"  The  system  of  burial  in  Porto  Rico  has  been  bar 
barous.  In  places  corpses  are  thrown  into  shallow 
graves,  sometimes  without  box  or  casket.  The  ceme 
teries  are  too  small  and  frequently  crowded.  The  state 
of  morality  can  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  num 
ber  of  illegitimate  children  exceeds  that  of  the  legiti 
mate.  Concubinage  is  said  to  be  common,  and  is  not 
sufficiently  discountenanced  either  legally  or  socially. 
The  eradication  of  this  great  evil  presents  one  of  the 
most  difficult  problems  in  Porto  Rico,  owing  to  the 
mixture  of  races  there." 

Deaths  occurred  amongst  the  natives  in  numbers 
that  are  simply  appalling.  From  three  to  nine 
funerals  passing  on  the  same  road  during  a  single 
morning  was  not  unusual.  Drawn  by  superstition 
rather  than  faith,  the  bodies  of  the  dead  are  brought 
to  the  village  cemetery  in  coffins  made  of  a  frame 
work  covered  with  black  canvas,  which  are  bor 
rowed  for  the  occasion,  and  are  then  replaced  in 
the  storerooms,  the  bodies  being  interred  without 
coffins.  These  are  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  from 
two  to  four  men,  who  with  all  possible  speed,  vary 
ing  from  a  fast  walk  to  a  run,  unattended  with 
mourners  or  friends  of  the  deceased,  discharge  their 
duty  without  ceremony.  For  children  coffins  made 
from  the  royal  palm  bark  are  mostly  used,  in  form 


Porto  Rico  249 

like  a  basket,  in  which  the  body  is  placed  and  car 
ried  on  the  shoulder  or  head  of  a  single  native  to 
the  cemetery.  Such  boxes  are  also  utilized  for 
cradles  and  for  bringing  the  babies  to  the  church 
for  christening  by  those  who  attend  to  this  formal 
ity.  During  mass  one  morning,  I  remember  seeing 
eight  babies  in  their  bark  boxes,  placed  on  the 
ground  in  the  shade  of  the  church,  lying  quietly  in 
the  care  of  one  woman,  waiting  for  the  finishing  of 
mass  for  the  baptismal  service.  At  another  time 
a  box  standing  on  the  ground  on  the  church  plaza, 
unattended,  with  no  person  in  sight,  contained  the 
corpse  of  a  child,  while  the  bearer  had  gone  across 
the  street  to  look  for  the  priest.  An  incident 
which  happened  in  Utuado,  while  the  regiment 
was  in  camp  there,  was  the  burial  of  a  woman, 
who  unfortunately  was  too  tall  for  the  space  pre 
pared  for  her.  The  problem  was  solved  by  ampu 
tating  her  legs  at  the  knees,  interring  her  by 
sections. 

I  am  sure  the  author  of  "  From  Greenland's  Icy 
Mountains  "  must  have  been  to  Porto  Rico,  for  never 
was  there  such  exemplification  of  the  lines  of  — 

"  Where  every  prospect  pleases, 
And  only  man  is  vile. " 

It  is  impossible  to  this  day  to  think  without  a 
shiver  of  the  island  with  its  wonderful  variety  and 
luxuriance  of  beautiful  foliage  being  the  stage-setting 


250      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

for  the  native  Porto  Rican.  No  description  of  the 
poorer  classes  and  the  absolute  poverty  and  absence 
of  every  comfort  of  a  home  can  convey  to  the  reader 
a  correct  idea  of  their  life  or  your  impressions  as 
you  would  come  suddenly  through  the  thick  foliage 


A  SUBURBAN  RESIDENCE. 

on  one  of  the  native  bark-covered  huts,  half  open, 
for  doors  there  were  none,  with  no  furniture,  the 
children  naked,  and  their  parents  in  rags  squatting 
like  apes  in  the  front  of  the  shack.  An  indescrib 
able  loathing  of  the  inanity  and  inactivity  of  such 
a  life  made  one  long  for  rocky  New  England  and  an 
honest  day's  work.  Men  or  women  followed  by 
children  creep  out  in  the  morning  and  hunt  their 
breakfast  of  bananas  or  fruit  just  as  a  pig  will  hunt 
its  breakfast  of  acorns. 


Porto  Rico  251 

Gladly  do  wo  leave  this  existence  for  that  of  the 
towns,  and  even  there  life  is  simplicity  itself  com 
pared  to  our  manner  of  living.  The  monotony  was 
broken  by  the  arrival  of  the  regiment  or  companies 
in  different  towns,  and  gladly  did  the  natives 
open  their  houses  to  officers  and  privates.  In 
certain  cases  it  was  from  policy.  In  all  the  cities 
the  most  loyal  Spanish  sympathizers,  usually 
the  moneyed  class,  who  the  day  before  our  arrival 
had  designated  us  by  the  favorite  Spanish  expres 
sion  as  "  Yankee  pigs,"  were  the  first  to  open  their 
houses,  and  were  most  insistent  in  their  attention 
to  the  officers. 

The  native  music,  with  its  minor  chord,  had  a 
savage  sweetness,  yet  the  unconsciously  expressed 
cry  of  bondage,  as  it  would  sound  through  the 
night  air  to  the  accompaniment  of  a  Spanish 
guitar.  We  were  constantly  surprised  to  find 
such  a  number  of  pianos  in  the  interior  of  the 
island,  and  so  much  musical  talent.  Much  good 
music  was  heard,  but  just  at  the  time  of  our  arrival 
the  favorite  air  at  Utuado  among  the  natives,  heard 
on  all  sides,  was  "  After  the  ball  is  over." 

The  necessity  owing  to  the  over-stocked  condi 
tion  of  insect  life  in  the  island  rendered  hangings 
and  carpets  almost  a  forbidden  luxury,  being  found 
only  in  the  homes  of  the  rich,  and  there  in  great 
scarcity.  The  houses,  built  almost  entirely  of  wood, 


252      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

without  plaster,  glass,  or  chimneys,  on  account  of 
earthquakes,  have  the  look  of  a  boat  club  or  camp. 
In  the  evening  the  doors  are  thrown  open,  and 
the  formal  array  of  cane-seated  furniture,  stiffly 
arranged  in  two  rows  facing  each  other,  furnish 
the  family  a  meeting  place,  where  the  soldiers 
were  often  present,  conversing  with  signs  and  a 
very  limited  vocabulary  of  Spanish ;  for  the  better 
class  in  the  towns  have  very  correct  ideas  of  the 
proprieties  of  life,  and  if  the  men  wished  to  see 
the  seiloritas  it  must  be  in  the  presence  of  the 
seilora. 

The  many  native  fruits  growing  wild  give  an 
existence  to  a  large  population  to  whom  work  is 
an  unknown  quantity ;  but  that  they  suffer  for  the 
inactive  life  they  lead  and  the  food  they  eat  is 
shown  by  the  diseased  condition  of  the  children  and 
the  great  number  of  deaths  occurring  daily.  The 
better  classes  use  more  meat  than  would  be  ex 
pected  in  a  hot  climate,  while  salt  fish  is  its 
substitute  for  the  poor. 

Of  the  many  available  fruits  used  by  the  natives 
bananas  are  the  most  abundant,  furnishing  the 
staple  diet  for  the  poor.  These  are  rarely  eaten 
raw,  being  cooked  in  many  ways,  from  boiling  to 
frying  in  oil.  The  Spanish  wines  were  formerly 
cheap  and  good,  and  were  used  as  in  all  European 
countries,  while  native  rum,  by  its  cheapness  and 


Porto  Rico  253 

rapidity  of  action,  has  gained  a  hold  in  the  estima 
tion  of  many  that  nothing  can  supplant. 

The  water  filter  stands  on  the  piazza  of  every 
well-to-do  citizen,  but  the  water  is  drunk  without 
ice,  there  being  but  two  ice  plants  on  the  island, 
one  in  Ponce,  the  other  in  San  Juan. 

The  mineral  resources  of  the  island  are  still  an 
unknown  quantity,  although  the  optimistic  prospec 
tor  declares  there  exists  a  great  wealth  of  gold  and 
silver  in  addition  to  the  baser  metals.  Coal  wTas 
discovered  by  the  merest  chance  of  the  natives 
using  stones  for  building  a  camp-fire,  wrhen  to 
their  surprise  their  kettle  fell  to  the  ground,  the 
supposed  stones  having  disappeared  entirely,  eaten 
up  by  the  flames. 

Bull  fighting  has  been  tried,  but  the  climate 
is  too  enervating  for  developing  fighting  stock. 
Fashion  has  tried  to  perpetuate  this  "  manly  art ;  " 
but,  owing  to  the  indisposition  of  the  bulls  to  fight, 
the  populace  has  given  it  up  and  taken  solace, 
like  the  Mexicans,  in  cock  fights,  the  pits  for  which 
are  found  in  every  town  and  licenses  issued  per 
mitting  the  same.  One  of  the  first  official  acts  of 

Major  in  Arecibo  was  to  grant  such  a 

license. 

The  traveller  who  goes  to  the  island  must  be 
ready  to  leave  train  or  carriage  at  any  point  for 
the  saddle,  and  be  willing  to  sleep  on  a  canvas  cot 


254      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

in  a  room  with  any  number  of  people.  You  are 
expected  to  ask  for  a  "  bed  "  and  not  for  a  room. 
These  so-called  beds  are  made  of  canvas  stretched 
on  a  frame  which  closes  up  like  a  clothes-horse. 
The  fastidious  will  do  wrell  to  remain  at  the 
Hotel  Inglaterra  in  San  Juan  or  the  French  Hotel 
in  Ponce,  but  they  will  not  see  the  true  Porto 
Rican  life. 

If  one  objects  to  having  chickens  stray  into  his 
bedroom,  or  dislikes   having  the  landlady  smoke 
cigars  while  serving   his  dinner,  or  is  prejudiced 
against  the  native  custom  of  having  a  baby  dressed 
only  for  the  "all  together"  in  the  middle  of  the 
dinner  table,  he  must  not  travel.     On  the  other 
hand  a  day  over  the  island  makes  one  forget  much 
of  native  customs,  for  the  scenery  is  picturesque  to 
the  degree  of  appearing  artificial.    Topographically 
the   island   lends    itself   to    a   tropical    vegetation 
with  the    best   results.       Volcanic  eruptions  have 
piled  the  mountains  up  to  a  height  of  five  to  six 
thousand  feet,  in  a  boldness  of  lines  that  would 
suggest   the    Alps    were    it    not    for   the    draping 
and  dressing  of  every  shade  of  green,  hiding  in 
shadows  the  uneven  surfaces  and  giving  an  appear 
ance  in  the  distance  of  solid  banked  forests.     It  is 
the  exception  to  find  a  cliff  that  has  eluded  the 
seed  of  fern  or  plant  in  its  search  for  a  home. 
Where  the  roads  have  been  finished,  as  the  one 


Porto  Rico  255 

from  Ponce  to  San  Juan,  they  are  splendid  examples 
of  European  military  construction,  and  quite  the 
equal  in  engineering  skill  to  those  in  the  old  world. 
The  fact  that  there  are  comparatively  so  few  miles 
built  on  the  island  is  due  to  the  extravagance  and 
dilatoriness  of  the  Spanish  colonial  system. 

Outside  the  two  or  three  principal  cities  the 
ordinary  method  of  travel  for  men  and  women  is 
in  the  saddle.  The  small  native  horses,  looking 
like  broken-down  ponies,  are  marvels  of  strength 
and  endurance.  Used  as  pack  horses  they  carry  all 
merchandise  into  the  interior,  over  roads  that  are 
not  more  than  trails,  through  swollen  streams,  up 
and  clown  mountain  paths,,  living  on  nothing  but 
grass,  for  grain  as  feed  for  horses  they  do  not 
know.  Yet  the  American  officer  was  always  glad 
to  leave  his  big  army  horse  for  one  of  these  easy- 
gaited,  sure-footed  ponies  if  he  had  a  journey  to 
make  into  the  interior.  One  may  go  in  any  direc 
tion,  and  find  his  way  leading  over  roads  that  are 
blasted  out  of  solid  rock,  along  the  edge  of  pre 
cipices,  or  creeping  snake-like  about  the  base  or 
side  of  a  mountain,  over  stone  bridges  which  span 
ravines  where,  hundreds  of  feet  beneath,  the  water 
can  be  heard  falling  over  the  rocks  in  its  rush  to 
the  sea  in  streams  bordered  with  great  clumps  of 
bamboo,  their  delicate  green  foliage  swaying  as 
peacefully  in  the  breeze  as  any  ostrich  feathers  on 


256      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

my  lady's  bonnet.  And,  as  if  not  content  with  the 
profusion  of  tropical  greens,  and  the  modest  display 
of  colors  from  flowers  and  shrubs,  great  trees 
blossom  out  into  huge  bouquets,  until  color  is 
literally  splashed  on  the  landscape.  Imagine  a 
tree  the  size  of  a  large  oak,  whose  entire  surface  is 
one  mass  of  brilliant  red  set  against  a  background 
of  vivid  green,  with  a  neighboring  tree  throwing 
out  blossoms  of  yellow  flowers,  in  form  and  size  like 
those  of  our  trumpet  vine.  Nature  has  been  royal 
in  her  lavish  gifts  of  color  to  the  island.  Bermuda, 
with  her  emerald  ground  dotted  with  the  immacu 
late  white-washed  cottages,  compared  with  Porto 
Rico  is  like  a  prim  little  Quakeress  in  the  presence 
of  a  semi-barbaric  queen  of  the  Orient,  decked  in 
all  her  savage  splendor.  When  night  falls  and  the 
full  moon  rises  over  the  island,  turning  every  tint 
to  silver,  and  filling  the  air  with  the  perfume  of  a 
thousand  flowering  plants  that  is  almost  sickening 
in  its  sweetness,  life  is  truly  like  a  chapter  from 
the  Arabian  Nights.  What  moonlight  in  Venice 
is  to  the  work  of  man,  moonlight  in  Porto  Rico  is 
to  the  work  of  nature. 

There  are  many  old  estates  surrounded  by  moss- 
grown  walls,  embedded  in  which  are  carved  stone 
seats  and  gates  with  broken  iron  railings,  through 
the  bars  of  which  one  sees  neglected  gardens  and 
basins  of  fountains  over  which  water  has  long 


Porto  Rico  257 

since  ceased  to  flow,  but  which  stand  as  a  monu 
ment  to  "  better  days."  The  trim,  well-kept  gar 
den  and  grounds  are  the  rare  exception.  Only  at 
San  Juan,  bordering  a  coast  more  beautiful  than 
the  ocean  drive  at  Newport,  are  there  houses  half 
seen  behind  luxuriant  growths  of  palms  and  cocoa- 
nuts,  and  through  avenues  of  tropical  foliage  arch 
ing  over  broad  hard  walks,  ending  in  a  vista  of 
blue  water  and  rocks  that  give  one  an  idea  of 
possibilities  realized. 

The  island  has  had  its  coterie  of  titled  officials, 
who,  as  in  all  Spanish  colonial  life,  maintained  the 
degrees  of  rank  and  perpetrated  a  mimic  court  life 
with  all  the  ardor  and  shallowness  of  the  mother 
country. 

The  governor's  palace  at  San  Juan,  from  its  spa 
ciousness  and  peculiarly  beautiful  location  at  the 
entrance  of  the  harbor,  impresses  one  at  first  as 
regal.  As  you  walk  through  its  spacious  suites 
and  enclosed  broad  piazzas,  seen  under  a  light  that 
is  softened  by  endless  shades  and  blinds,  you  feel 
that  much  might  be  forgiven  a  politician  for 
scheming  to  live  there.  Broad  piazzas,  enclosed  in 
dark  blinds,  furnish  not  only  lounging  corners  and 
beautiful  observatories  over  the  harbor,  but  are 
utilized  for  billiard  rooms  and  writing  and  reading 
corners.  It  is  only  when  the  first  impression  has 
been  followed  by  the  disappointment  of  a  closer 

17 


258      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

examination  that  you  find  stucco  instead  of  marble, 
painted  walls  in  places  designed  for  mosaics,  and 
cheap  colored  panes  in  windows  intended  for  stained 
glass.  Conceived  on  a  scale  of  royal  dimensions 
and  elaborate  finish,  it  has  resulted  in  a  huge,  well- 
proportioned  palace,  finished  with  the  economy 
suggestive  of  a  seaside  hotel,  or  our  own  White 
House,  and  lacking  in  everything  but  dimensions 
the  luxuriousness  of  the  homes  of  hundreds  of  the 
wealthv  citizens  of  New  York  and  Boston. 


Homeward  Bound  259 


CHAPTER   XII 

HOMEWARD    BOFXD 

"  They'll  turn  us  out  at  Portsmouth  wharf  in  cold  an'  wet  an' 

rain, 

All  wearin'  Injian  cotton  kit,  but  we  will  not  complain ; 
They  Tl  kill  us  of  pneumonia  —  for  that 's  their  little  way  — 
Put  damn  the  chills  and  fever,  men.  we're  goin'  'ome  to-day." 

reached  San  Juan  the  evening  of  the 
day  of  the  raising  of  American  flags, 
the  ceremony  having  taken  place  in  several  parts 
of  the  city  at  one  time  without  particular  demon 
stration. 

The  following  morning  all  men  a  properly 
dressed  "  were,  after  inspection,  allowed  to  go  on 
shore  for  the  day,  a  privilege  which  they  appreci 
ated,  and  used  to  the  best  advantage  in  visiting  the 
fortifications  and  interesting  buildings  of  San  Juan, 
and  viewing  the  ruins  caused  by  the  bombardment 
of  the  American  fleet,  Company  B  failed  to  ap 
pear,  not  reporting  until  the  morning  of  the  21st, 
when  immediately  after  their  arrival  on  board,  the 
"  Mississippi "  weighed  anchor  and  got  under  way 
at  4.30  P.  M. 


260      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

October  21.     During   our   stay   in   the   harbor, 
the  most  beautiful  one  in  Porto  Rico,  we  had  been 
entertained   by   the    preparation   of    the    Spanish 
troops  for  leaving  for  home.    As  the  transport  which 
we  had  watched  preparing  to  sail  got  slowly  under 
way,  the  Spanish  soldiers  were  cheered  by  our  men 
while  the   band   gave  them  a  farewell   selection. 
There  were  hundreds  left,  however,  eagerly  looking 
for  the  next  transport.     Continuous  cheering  on  the 
wharf  told  us  one  morning  they  had  sighted  their 
anxiously  looked-for  transport,  which  shortly  after 
ran  into  the  harbor,  and  preparations  were  made 
for  loading  troops.     A  lighter  of  beeves  was  run 
out  to  the  side  of  the  ship  and  the  animals  were 
drawn  on  board  by  means  of  a  rope  looped  about 
their  horns.     We  were  fortunate   enough  to   sail 
first,  but  were  no  happier  in  our  prospect  than  the 
defeated  home-sick  soldiers,  who  in  turn  cheered 
the  6th  as  we  passed. 

The  "Mississippi"  had  been  represented  to  us  as 
a  most  uncomfortable  transport,  and  it  was  with  fear 
and  trembling  that  the  men  first  boarded  her.  The 
experience  of  the  "Yale"  was  not  forgotten,  and 
nothing  could  compensate  for  another  such  trip.  We 
were  agreeably  surprised,  for  while  having  an  unfin 
ished  interior,  she  was  provided  with  hammocks  for 
every  man,  and  the  large  caldrons  for  cooking  made 
palatable  food  a  possibility.  The  officers'  quarters 


a 

•2 
o 

H 

I 


Homeward  Bound  263 

were  limited  to  a  degree  of  being  uncomfortable, 
but  they  too  were  going  home  and  did  not  com 
plain.  Ice  water  was  kept  on  deck,  and  the  vessel 
made  up  in  steadiness  what  she  lost  in  elegance  of 
finish.  The  voyage  was  without  incident,  all  else 
being  secondary  to  the  thought  of  home.  As  we 
came  North,  the  gradual  change  of  temperature 
became  apparent,  and  men  began  to  think  of  their 
blue  uniforms  and  overcoats,  although  many  had 
provided  themselves  with  heavy  underwear  before 
leaving  Porto  Rico,  and  supplies  of  underclothing 
were  issued  on  board  during  the  voyage,  while 
others  put  on  extra  suits  to  the  third  and  fourth 
thickness.  Not  until  the  morning  of  our  reaching 
Boston,  however,  was  the  weather  unpleasantly 
cold,  when  the  brightness  and  significance  of  the 
day  more  than  made  up  for  a  low  temperature. 
There  was  little  sleep  on  board  the  night  before  we 
arrived,  and  early  in  the  morning  men  were  on 
deck  scanning  the  horizon  for  Boston  lights.  As 
we  sailed  up  the  harbor,  the  "  Mississippi "  dressed 
with  colors,  we  were  greeted  with  whistles  from 
craft  of  every  sort  and  kind.  After  passing  quar 
antine  a  tug  appeared  with  an  entire  outfit  for  the 
regiment  of  heavy  clothing  and  overcoats ;  but  to 
have  taken  the  time  to  sort  and  distribute  these 
supplies  to  the  regiment  would  have  kept  us  on 
board  another  night,  so  it  was  decided  to  land  the 


264      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

men  at  once,  trusting  to  the  exhilaration  of  march 
ing  to  keep  them  warm  in  their  kharkee  uniforms. 
Rosettes  of  ribbon  of  the  Spanish  colors,  held  to 
gether  by  a  Spanish  infantry  button,  which  had 
been  presented  to  the  men  on  the  boat,  held  back 
the  campaign  hat  brims  from  the  sunburned  faces 
of  the  men. 

One  of  the  pleasant  features  of  our  reception  was 
the  presence  of  General  Mathews,  the  commander 
of  the  brigade  of  which  the  6th  Massachusetts  is  a 
member,  who,  with  the  following  officers,  were  not 
only  at  the  wharf  to  welcome  the  6th,  but  walked 
throughout  the  parade  with  them  :  Thomas  11. 
Matthews,  brigadier  general ;  Dr.  Otis  H.  Marion, 
medical  director  ;  Maj.  William  H.  Brigham,  as 
sistant  inspector  general ;  Capt.  George  M.  Thomp 
son,  engineer  ;  Capt.  Charles  Kenny,  brigade 
quartermaster;  Capt.  Edward  Glines,  aid. 

The  Boston  papers  told  of  our  home-coming  as 
follows :  — 

Home  again!  To-day  the  6th  Regiment  is  back 
again  in  Boston  ;  back  again  to  the  homes  and  the 
friends  that  were  left  behind  at  the  call  of  duty  and 
country  six  months  ago;  back  again  to  receive  the 
plaudits  of  citizens  who  lined  the  streets  as  the  sun- 
browned  young  veterans  marched  past.  It  was  a  home 
coming  of  which  any  soldier  might  be  proud.  It  was 
a  home-coming  that  left  no  bitter  feelings,  no  thoughts 
of  horror  and  fearful  death.  Bright  and  strong,  with 


Homeward  Bound  265 

the  flush  of  health  upon  their  cheeks,  with  heads  erect, 
and  with  a  springing  step,  the  men  of  the  6th  Regi 
ment  paraded  the  streets  of  Boston,  —  a  regiment  of 
which  Massachusetts  may  well  be  proud. 

With  the  Gth  Massachusetts  Regiment  on  board 
the  transport  "  Mississippi "  was  sighted  off  Hull  at 
9.30  o'clock  this  morning.  A  short  time  afterwards  she 
dropped  anchor  off  quarantine,  where  she  was  boarded 
by  the  health  officials.  Captain  Stimpson  was  able  to 
show  a  clean  bill  of  health.  There  were  only  three  men 
sick  on  board,  and  their  trouble  was  only  of  the  most 
trivial  nature. 

It  was  a  bright  May  day,  more  than  six  months  ago, 
when  the  Gth  Regiment  assembled  in  Boston,  paraded 
the  streets  of  the  city,  were  reviewed  by  Mayor  Quincy 
and  Governor  Wolcott.  Perhaps,  had  some  of  the  men 
foreseen  the  hardships  that  were  before  them  they  might 
have  desired  to  turn  back  again  for  the  comforts  of 
home.  To-day,  after  all  that  has  passed,  they  would 
not  give  up  one  moment  of  the  suffering,  the  hardships, 
and  the  privations  through  which  they  have  gone.  The 
action  of  a  few  left  a  stain  on  the  name  of  the  regiment. 
To  wipe  that  out  was  the  desire  of  every  man  and  every 
officer  in  the  regiment.  That  they  succeeded  is  best 
told  in  the  words  of  General  Brooke,  who,  when  the 
regiment  was  about  to  start  for  home,  said  to  Colonel 
Rice,  "  I  am  sorry  to  have  you  go.  I  shall  miss  the 
finest  regiment  in  Porto  Rico." 

Colonel  Rice  is  proud  of  his  men.  He  is  proud  of  his 
officers,  and  every  officer  is  proud  of  his  company.  Well 
they  may  be,  for  the  regiment  has  acquitted  itself  with 
glory.  The  men  have  borne  their  sufferings  without  a 
murmur.  They  have  made  a  name  for  themselves  and 
for  their  State,  and  they  love  their  officers.  "  What  do 


266      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

we  think  of  him  ?  ''  replied  a  man,  when  asked  for  his 
opinion  of  Colonel  Rice.  "  What  do  we  think  of  him  ? 
"Why  there  is  n't  a  man  in  the  regiment  that  you  could 
get  to  say  a  word  against  him.  They  would  swear  by 
him  through  thick  and  thin."  And  that  is  what  the 
6th  Regiment  thinks  of  its  commanding  officer. 

It  was  bitter  cold  on  the  transport  this  morning,  and 
the  men  suffered  a  great  deal  in  their  light  kharkee  uni 
forms,  which  were  the  same  that  they  have  been  wearing 
for  many  months  down  in  Porto  Rico,  and  the  quick 
change  in  climate  was  felt  by  them. 

Most  of  them  were  too  excited  to  stay  below,  and 
when  dinner  call  was  sounded,  shortly  after  eleven 
o'clock,  some  of  the  men  did  not  care  to  take  the  time 
to  go  below.  They  gathered  about  the  newspaper  men 
and  others  who  had  boarded  the  ship,  anxious  for  any 
kind  of  news  and  the  sight  of  a  Boston  face. 

No  news  had  been  received  from  Governor  Wolcott, 
and  it  was  decided  that  no  move  should  be  made  until 
he  had  been  heard  from.  Shortly  before  twelve  o'clock 
the  "  Vigilant,"  with  the  white  flag  of  the  Common 
wealth  flying  at  her  bow,  was  sighted  up  the  harbor. 
The  word  was  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth  all  over  the 
ship,  and  the  men  left  their  tins  of  soup  and  hurried  to 
the  upper  deck.  The  little  "  Vigilant  "  puffed  up  along 
the  starboard  side,  and  then  and  there  occurred  a  scene 
that  is  seldom  witnessed,  and,  once  seen,  will  never  be 
forgotten  by  those  who  were  present.  The  "  Vigilant " 
gave  three  long  whistles  as  a  salute  from  the  governor 
of  the  Commonwealth  to  the  returning  Massachusetts 
boys.  The  "  Mississippi "  answered  with  three  deep- 
toned  whistles,  the  echo  of  which  had  scarcely  died 
away  before  the  terrific  screech  of  the  great  siren  whistle 
woke  the  echoes  once  more.  Every  available  inch  on 


Homeward  Bound  267 

the  starboard  side  of  the  great  transport  was  crowded 
with  soldiers,  —  one  long  line  of  faces  from  stem  to 
stern. 

Suddenly  some  one  shouted  :  "  Three  cheers  for  Gov 
ernor  Wolcott ! " 

The  words  were  hardly  uttered  when,  like  the  bellow 
ing  of  some  terrible  giant,  three  wild,  long  cheers  broke 
forth.  The  boys  flung  their  hats  in  the  air.  They 
yelled  until  they  could  yell  no  more.  It  was  grand.  It 
was  beautiful,  because  spontaneous.  It  was  the  first 
time  that  they  had  had  a  chance  to  let  themselves  out, 
and  nothing  could  have  stopped  those  young  fellows 
as  they  poured  out  in  these  three  long  yells  all  the 
love  of  home,  all  the  patriotism,  and  all  the  enthusiasm 
that  had  been  restrained  and  held  back  in  the  weary 
months  that  they  have  been  marching  and  fighting  for 
their  country. 

On  the  upper  deck  of  the  "  Vigilant "  stood  Governor 
Wolcott,  hat  in  hand.  Every  man  knew  him  by  sight, 
and  every  man  felt  a  personal  interest  just  then  in  the 
governor  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Hardly  had  the  echoes  of  the  great  cheer  floated 
back  again  across  the  harbor  when  the  6th  Regiment 
Band  struck  up  the  inspiriting  strains  of  Sousa's  "  Stars 
and  Stripes  Forever."  It  only  added  to  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  men,  and  a  few  moments  later,  when  the  "  Vigi 
lant  "  had  tied  up  outside  of  half  a  dozen  tugs  and  Gov 
ernor  Wolcott  stepped  aboard,  the  cheering  was  renewed. 
There  were  cheers  for  Governor  Wolcott,  for  Adjutant 
General  Dalton,  and  the  members  of  the  governor's  staff 
individually.  Tears  stood  in  the  eyes  of  a  few  of  the 
men  who  never  shirked  in  the  face  of  duty  or  knew 
fear  as  the  Spanish  bullets  whistled  about  them  during 
that  memorable  fight  in  Porto  Rico.  That  home-coming. 


268       The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

and  the  other  that  was  accorded  by  the  citizens  of 
Boston  when  the  men  marched  through  the  streets,  was 
worth  all  of  the  hardships  that  they  had  gone  through. 
The  men  of  the  band  stood  on  the  starboard  side  of  the 
boat.  Some  of  them  were  shivering  with  the  cold.  About 
them  were  wrapped  blankets  and  nondescript  articles 
of  clothing  that  were  seized  in  the  confusion  of  the 
moment.  The  instruments  were  dirty  and  battered ; 
some  of  them  were  sadly  out  of  tune  ;  but  to  the  ma 
jority  of  the  thousand  men  of  the  great  transport  it  was 
the  sweetest  music  they  had  ever  heard.  Its  strains 
told  them  that  they  were  "  home  again,"  with  all  that 
home  means.  Their  departure  had  been  hasty.  Some 
of  the  men  had  hardly  time  to  say  good-bye ;  but  in  a 
few  hours  they  knew  that  they  would  clasp  to  their 
hearts  those  they  had  left  so  many  months  ago.  For 
them  it  was  beautiful  music,  and  tears  trickled  down 
many  a  sunburnt  and  furrowed  face. 

Among  those  to  visit  the  dock,  just  after  the  troops 
arrived,  was  General  Parsons,  who  was  formerly  colonel 
of  the  regiment.  He  was  loudly  cheered  by  the  boys, 
and  he  made  them  a  short  speech,  in  which  he  said: 
"I  'm  proud  of  you,  and  the  Commonwealth  ought  to  be. 
You  look  like  soldiers,  and  I  know  you  are  soldiers." 
He  was  given  three  cheers  and  a  tiger  by  the  whole 
regiment.  In  an  interview,  he  said  that  the  regiment 
was  deserving  of  a  great  deal  of  praise,  and  he  added, 
"  All  they  needed  was  a  leader,  and  they  got  him  in 
Colonel  Kice." 

Not  much  business  was  done  in  the  city  between  two 
and  four  o'clock  this  afternoon  in  the  sections  which 
were  near  the  route  of  the  6th  Regiment's  parade,  for 
apparently  everybody,  from  bank  presidents  down  to 
office  boys,  was  on  the  sidewalk  struggling  for  places 


Homeward  Bound  269 

in  the  first  rows.  State  St.  from  Washington  to  Broad 
was  a  wriggling1  column  of  men,  women,  and  children, 
fully  an  hour  and  a  half  before  the  drums  of  the  6th 
were  heard  in  the  distance.  By  two  o'clock  the  side 
walks  along  Newspaper  Row  and  School  Street  were 
nearly  impassable.  In  front  of  City  Hall  the  mayor's 
reviewing  stand  had  been  brought  out,  decorated  with 
tri-colored  bunting,  and  around  this  the  people  swarmed 
in  numbers  sufficient  to  defy  the  squad  of  police  on  duty 
there.  Of  course  the  greatest  crowd  was  seen  opposite 
the  State  House,  where  hundreds  of  women  stood. 
Down  either  side  of  Beacon  Street  the  crowd  extended, 
all  tiying  to  get  a  little  nearer  the  vantage  point  opposite 
the  position  of  the  governor. 

Shortly  before  the  orders  to  start  were  given  several 
mounted  policemen  arrived  on  the  scene,  and  with  the 
handful  of  patrolmen  did  the  best  they  could  to  make  a 
passage-way  through  the  crowds.  Fully  ten  thousand 
people  by  this  time  blocked  all  the  vicinity  of  the  dock 
yard  that  the  troops  must  necessarily  march  through  to 
reach  Congress  Street.  The  formation  was  as  follows : 

Detachment  of  Police. 

6th  Regiment  band,  bugle  and  drum  corps,  forty-two  men, 
Sergeant  Frank  J.  Metcalf,  drum  major,  and 

Edward  Morse,  band  leader. 
Col.  Edmund  Rice,  Lieut.  Col.  Butler  Ames, 

and  staff. 

K  Company,  Captain  Gray. 

M  Company,  Lieutenant  Smith. 

E  Company,  Lieutenant  Rowland. 

L  Company,  Lieutenant  Jackson. 

I  Company,  Captain  Cook. 

B  Company,  Captain  Fellows. 

D  Company,  Captain  McDowell. 


270      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

F  Company,  Captain  Jackson. 
A  Company,  Lieutenant  Barnstead. 

H  Company,  Captain  Sweetser. 

G  Company,  Captain  Fair  weather. 

C  Company,  Captain  Gregg. 

Then  followed  a  street  parade  over  the  following 
route :  Congress,  Milk,  Broad,  State,  Washington, 
School,  and  Beacon  Streets  to  Charles  Street,  where  the 
regiment  was  dismissed.  The  command  was  reviewed 
by  the  mayor  at  City  Hall,  and  by  Governor  Wolcolt  at 
the  State  House.  After  being  dismissed  the  companies 
were  transported  to  their  homes.  All  along  the  line  of 
march  the  men  were  received  with  the  wildest  demon 
strations.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  spectators  was  un 
bounded,  and  seldom  has  Boston  given  as  hearty  a 
welcome  or  more  genuine.  The  regiment  mustered 
nine  hundred  and  twenty-five  men  and  officers. 

SUBUEBAX  PLACES  EXCITED. 

Preparations  made  for  reception  of  the  men  of  tlte  Sixth  Regiment  when 
their  coming  icas  known. 

News  of  the  arrival  in  the  harbor  of  the  vessel  with 
the  men  of  the  6th  Massachusetts  Regiment  aboard 
reached  Wakefield,  Stoneham,  and  other  suburban  places 
almost  as  soon  as  the  arrival  was  known  in  this  city,  and 
local  excitement  was  great  in  the  towns  mentioned,  from 
both  of  which  places  so  many  men  went  away  with  their 
companies.  In  Wakefield  the  streets  soon  took  on  an 
unwonted  look  with  so  many  of  the  residents  out  to 
hear  the  latest  news,  and  to  speculate  upon  the  probable 
arrival  in  the  town  of  those  whose  home  is  there. 

General  business  was  at  a  standstill  for  the  time,  and 
only  the  important  subject  of  the  arrival  of  the  men 


Homeward  Bound  273 

occupied  every  one.  Preparations  had  been  carefully 
made  under  appointed  committees,  who  only  awaited  the 
signal  to  put  into  operation  the  plans  made  for  the  com 
ing  home  of  the  soldiers.  Everybody  had  been  inter 
ested,  and  no  time  was  lost  in  carrying  into  effect  the 
plans  mapped  out.  A  military  call  was  sounded  for 
the  gathering  of  the  Citizens'  War  Relief  Committee, 
Post  12,  G.  A.  R.,  and  others  who,  with  a  band, 
met  in  Central  Square  and  marched  to  the  railroad 
station  to  take  the  train  to  this  city  to  give  the  first 
welcome  to  the  men.  It  was  arranged  for  Col.  James  F. 
Mansfield  to  telephone  to  Wakefield  the  latest  news 
regarding  the  soldiers,  so  that  the  townspeople  could 
keep  constantly  in  touch  with  what  was  happening  here. 

The  arrangements  in  Wakefield  include  the  general 
gathering  of  the  citizens  in  large  numbers  to  meet  the 
train  from  Boston  and  to  escort  the  soldiers  to  their 
armory  upon  arrival.  It  was  thought  best  to  provide  a 
substantial  luncheon  for  them,  after  enjoying  which 
they  could  go  quietly  to  their  homes,  for  formal  cere 
monies  were  thought  inopportune  at  this  time  when  the 
men  need  rest  and  preferred  to  reach  their  homes  and 
families  as  soon  as  possible.  This  was  the  prevailing 
sentiment,  and  so  only  along  the  line  of  march  could 
the  townspeople  show  their  cordial  welcome  just  at  this 
time. 

Equal  excitement  was  created  in  Stoneham,  which 
did  not  intend,  apparently,  to  be  outdone  by  her  sister 
town,  and  in  that  place  careful  preparations  had  been 
made  in  advance  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  men.  The 
movement  was  unanimous  for  their  welcome,  and  various 
organizations  had  a  part  in  the  plans.  Upon  hearing 
the  news  from  this  city  the  reception  committee  started 
for  Boston  to  meet  the  soldiers  and  conduct  them  across 

18 


274       1  ^e  Sixth  Massachusetts 

the  city  to  the  Union  Station  as  soon  as  they  were  at 
liberty  to  start  for  home.  The  Stoneham  station  has 
been  the  scene  of  a  gathering  which  each  hour  made 
larger  and  larger. 

When  the  steamer  arrived  "in  the  harbor  this  morning 
the  fire  alarm  gong  struck  the  military  call  to  notify  the 
reception  committee  to  proceed  to  Boston  to  welcome 
the  boys  as  they  landed.  A  second  military  call  was 
arranged  to  notify  the  townspeople  of  the  company's 
leaving  the  Union  Station  for  Stoneham.  This  likewise 

o 

would  be  a  signal  for  the  people  to  proceed  to  the  depot 
in  Stoneham  to  form  a  procession,  including  many 
organizations  of  that  place. 

Lowell's  arrangements  for  the  reception  of  her  sol 
diers  belonging  to  the  6th  Regiment  were  the  outcome 
of  a  plan  suggested  by  the  mayor  and  taken  up  by  many 
citizens,  so  that  the  movement  was  one  in  which  a  large 
number  of  people  had  been  actively  interested.  Money 
was  subscribed  to  meet  the  expenses  of  giving  the 
returned  soldiers  a  warm  welcome.  As  soon  as  it  was 
known  in  Lowell  that  the  vessel  wTas  coming  to-day  a 
messenger  was  sent  to  this  city  to  keep  the  mayor  of 
Lowell  posted  regarding  the  movements  of  the  regiment 
in  passing  quarantine,  landing,  and  the  like.  The  mes 
senger  met  the  soldiers  here  and  accompanied  them  on 
the  train  home.  For  their  arrival  there  all  the  bands  in 
the  city  offered  their  services  free  for  the  procession, 
and  the  High  School  Regiment  was  given  permission  to 
turn  out.  The  arrangements  included  the  provision  of 
a  light  luncheon  at  the  Lowell  armory  on  arrival  of  the 
soldiers.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  when  the  men 
left  their  homes  to  go  to  war,  chime  bells  in  the  city 
played  "The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me,"  and  it  was 
thought  by  the  committee  that  "  When  Johnny  Comes 


Homeward  Bound  275 

Marching  Home  "  would  be  the  most  appropriate  selec 
tion  which  could  be  chosen  for  the  home-coming. 

In  Fitchburg,  well-arranged  plans  were  made  for  the 
reception  of  the  men  belonging  there.  As  in  other 
places,  the  fire  alarm  was"  made  the  means  of  keeping 
the  people  posted  regarding  the  movements  of  the  regi 
ment  after  the  arrival  in  the  harbor  here.  Business  had 
been  suspended  for  the  time  being  and  school  chil 
dren  enjoyed  a  holiday.  The  Fitchburg  Band  and  the 
Sacred  Heart  Drum  Corps  volunteered  their  services  as 
escorts,  others  being  Post  19,  G.  A.  R.,  and  Camp  28, 
S.  V.,  of  Fitchburg,  and  Post  53,  G.  A.  R.,  and  Camp  52, 
S.  V.,  of  Leominster. 

Milford  sent  a  delegation  to  this  city,  and  their 
departure  from  that  town  was  the  signal  for  considerable 
excitement  in  anticipation  of  the  near  arrival  there  of 
the  men.  The  preparations  there  included  escort  of  the 
soldiers  by  the  Milford  Brass  Band,  Post  22,  G.  A.  R., 
the  Sons  of  Veterans,  and  the  Milford  High  School 
Cadets  on  arrival  of  the  train.  The  citizens  were  also 
asked  to  join  in  the  march.  A  depot  of  supplies  had 
been  opened  for  those  interested  to  leave  flannels,  etc., 
for  the  soldiers. 

Marlboro  citizens  also  sent  a  committee  to  welcome  in 
this  city  the  men  from  that  place,  and  the  plans  for  the 
reception  in  their  own  home  will  show  the  soldiers  that 
they  have  by  no  means  been  forgotten  while  away  on 
duty.  As  in  many  other  places,  it  was  planned  to  give 
them  a  public  banquet  and  reception  when  they  were 
rested. 

South  Framinghanvs  plans  were  not  for  a  great 
demonstration,  it  being  realized  that  the  men  were  not 
likely  to  be  in  suitable  condition  to  care  for  much 
beyond  reaching  their  own  homes  as  quickly  as  possible. 


276      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

The  men  were  met  here  by  a  committee  to  escort  them 
to  their  town,  and  there  the  welcome  was  carefully 
planned  so  as  not  to  tax  their  strength  or  take  their 
time  beyond  the  march  to  the  armory  with  early  dis 
missal  for  home.  Future  plans  were  made  for  their 
entertainment  in  a  more  elaborate  way,  when  they  could 
better  enjoy  a  demonstration  in  their  honor. 

The  "  Boston  Transcript/'  Oct.  29?  1899. 

The  6th  Regiment  certainly  looked  well  as  it  marched 
through  the  streets  Thursday  afternoon ;  the  stain  of 
campaigning,  the  look  of  use  about  equipments,  the 
crowd  and  exultant  faces  of  the  soldiers,  the  shouts  of 
the  crowd,  all  went  to  make  up  an  old-time  war  picture. 
It  was  rather  a  surprise  to  see  the  men  looking  so  well ; 
those  who  return  from  Porto  Rico  do  not  bring  with 
them  the  "  Santiago  look."  That  a  large  regiment  made 
up  of  green  men  should  have  lost  so  few  from  sickness 
in  an  active  campaign  in  a  tropical  country  is  certainly 
a  fine  tribute  to  Porto  Rican  climate,  as  well  as  to  the 
present  commander  and  the  medical  officers  of  the 
regiment. 

To  take  a  corps  that  was  entirely  demoralized,  that 
was  sick  and  undisciplined  and  ashamed,  and  put  into 
as  good  shape  as  this  excellent  regiment  was  that  came 
home  on  Thursday,  would  be  a  brilliant  military  achieve 
ment  anywhere.  To  do  so  in  a  foreign  tropical  country 
under  severe  disadvantages,  is  indeed  a  great  triumph 
for  Colonel  Rice.  The  6th,  early  discredited,  has  a 
new  earned  reputation  through  this  accomplished  organ 
izer.  The  regiment's  service  has  of  course  been  nothing 
compared  with  that  of  the  2d,  but  just  at  this  moment 
its  greatness  is  unequivocal. 


Homeward  Bound  277 

I  have  heard  some  wonder  expressed  at  the  Spanish 
rosettes  on  the  soldiers'  hats ;  a  great  many  people  were 
sure  it  was  not  proper  for  American  soldiers  to  wear 
"the  enemy's  colors."  A  little  study  of  heraldry  would 
have  convinced  these  doubters  that  the  warrior  may 
wear  as  a  trophy  a  conquered  enemy's  insignia.  The 
victorious  knight  has  the  privilege  of  quartering  a  van 
quished  antagonist's  emblems  on  his  own  shield.  The 
Spanish  rosette  fastening  back  the  hat  flaps  on  the  6th 
was  not  only  correct  in  a  heraldic  sense,  but  was  a  great 
embellishment  to  the  regiment.  It  took  the  slouch  out 
of  the  campaign  hat  and  gave  the  boys  an  appearance. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  the  6th  will  stick  to  this  rosette,  and 
make  it  a  distinguishing  mark  in  future  years. 

The  "  Boston  Evening  Transcript "  October  30th, 
said  of  our  home  coming :  — 

The  6th  looked  solid,  serviceable,  and  soldierly  as  it 
marched  through  the  streets  of  Boston  yesterday.  Offi 
cers  and  men  appeared  to  be  in  excellent  physical  con 
dition  as  a  whole.  Some  faces  looked  worn  and  pale, 
but  many  more  were  so  tanned  that  the  Caucassians  of 
old  Middlesex  could  scarcely  be  detected  at  a  glance 
from  the  "  smoked  Yankees  "  of  Company  L.  The  per 
sonnel  of  the  regiment  is  remarkably  fine.  In  few 
countries  could  a  thousand  young  men  be  drawn  to 
gether  without  the  aid  of  conscription  who  would  aver 
age  as  tall,  well-formed,  and  active  as  the  mass  of  the 
6th.  They  are  fully  as  stalwart  as  the  English  linesmen, 
and  have  a  nervous  force  that  Tommy  Atkins,  with  all 
his  good  qualities,  lacks.  Such  a  regiment  in  Paris 
would  be  regarded  as  the  advance  guard  of  an  army  of 
giants.  The  march  of  yesterday  gave  evidence  of  a 


278      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

home-coming  from  foreign  service  by  the  parrots  and 
game  cocks  perched  on  the  shoulders  of  the  men,  and 
the  Spanish  cockades  worn  in  their  hats,  souvenirs  that 
smacked  of  the  soil  of  Porto  Rico.  Nor  was  the  "  mas 
cot  "  missing,  a  little  white  dog  born  in  Porto  Rico,  who 
wagged  a  willing  allegiance  to  the  colors  of  the  6th. 
The  regiment  gave  evidence  also  of  the  benefits  a  vol 
unteer  corps  receives  from  being  commanded  by  a  "  regu 
lar,"  who  has  among  his  associates  at  least  two  officers 
who  have  either  served  in  the  regulars  or  been  educated 
at  West  Point. 


The  regiment  marched  out  through  the  city, 
sunburned  and  black,  causing  the  remark  to  be 
made  constantly  that  the  men  looked  well.  If  the 
public  could  have  eliminated  the  tan  and  the 
exhilaration  attendant  on  the  home  coming,  they 
would  have  seen  a  crowd  of  men  who  with  few 
exceptions  were  then  suffering,  and  will  for  many 
months  to  come  suffer,  from  the  results  of  the  Porto 
Eican  campaign. 

The  welcome  home  given  the  6th  was  a  royal 
one,  and  one  that  made  the  men  forget  the  clays 
of  hunger  and  weariness.  Rather  did  they  ask 
themselves :  Are  we  worthy  the  compliment  the 
State  has  paid  us?  The  appreciation  of  the  re 
ception  was  the  more  intense  because  of  the 
unfortunate  criticism  which  had  been  made  of  the 
regiment  at  one  time  during  the  summer.  But 
when  the  parade  was  over  and  the  companies  were 


I 

c: 


Homeward  Bound  281 

dismissed  to  go  to  their  own  homes,  it  was  with 
the  assurance  that  whatever  misunderstanding 
may  have  arisen  or  misrepresentations  been  made 
the  6th  still  held  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
Massachusetts. 

Youths  who  had  left  their  homes  as  boys 
returned  as  men,  having  earned  the  respect  of  the 
older  citizens  of  their  town,  while  the  paternal 
care  and  interest  shown  by  the  older  members  of 
society  in  the  "  enlisted  men  "  touched  a  spring  of 
sympathetic  understanding  and  affection  in  the 
younger  men  that  nothing  else  but  an  experience 
like  in  kind  to  that  of  '98  could  have  developed. 

As  days  passed  and  men  no  longer  had  to  "  be 
careful  what  they  ate,"  receptions  were  tendered 
each  company  in  turn  by  the  citizens  of  its  town. 
The  presence  of  the  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Bice  was  a 
pleasure  to  the  men,  who  at  Fitchburg  presented 
Mrs.  Kice  with  a  souvenir  pin  of  diamonds  and 
pearls. 

On  Saturday,  January  21,  the  regiment  was 
mustered  out  of  the  United  States  service  by 
Colonel  Weaver,  and  received  its  final  pay. 

Colonel  Weaver,  who  had  also  mustered  the 
regiment  in,  remarked  at  the  banquet  that  he  "  had 
acted,  so  to  speak,  in  the  capacity  of  wret  nurse 
and  undertaker  to  the  regiment."  By  his  uniform 
kindness  and  many  favors  shown  the  officers  in 


282      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

the  routine  of  duty  Colonel  Weaver  has  gained  a 
respect  that  is  more  akin  to  affection  than  duty. 

Companies  F,  E,  and  M  were  mustered  out  at 
South  Framingham,  Companies  A,  H,  I,  and  L, 
in  Boston,  Companies  B  and  D  in  Fitchburg, 
Companies  C  and  Gr  in  Lowell,  and  Company  K 
in  Southbridge. 

As  a  proper  finish  to  the  history  of  the  6th 
Massachusetts,  II.  S.  V.,  in  the  Spanish-American 
war,  on  the  evening  of  the  21st  after  muster  out, 
the  officers  of  the  regiment  tendered  Col.  Edmund 
Rice  a  reception  at  the  University  Club,  Boston, 
where  they  were  able  to  greet  him  in  the  good 
fellowship  of  man  to  man. 

Lieut.  Col.  Butler  Ames  acted  as  master  of 
ceremonies. 

After  the  tables  had  been  cleared,  Governor 
Wolcott  was  introduced.  He  said  :  — 

I  have  been  sitting  here  in  a  thoroughly  enjoyable 
state,  and,  although  Colonel  Ames  has  said  that  no  din 
ner  would  be  complete  without  speeches,  I  think  that 
any  society  or  regiment  which  can  hold  a  meeting  of 
this  kind  without  speeches  has  achieved  great  distinc 
tion.  I  deem  it  a  great  privilege  and  honor  to  meet  the 
officers  of  the  6th  Regiment  here  to-night.  I  have  always 
taken  a  special  interest  in  the  6th  Regiment.  I  will  not 
go  into  details  regarding  the  period  preceding  the 
appointment  of  Colonel  Rice  as  commanding  officer  of 
the  regiment.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  it  was  a  period  of 
great  anxiety  to  me.  I  do  not  wish  to  refer  particu- 


LIEUT.  COL.  BUTLER  AMES. 


Homeward  Bound  285 

larly  to  the  Charleston  affair,  although  I  received 
numerous  anonymous  letters  and  telegrams  at  that 
time. 

For  a  long  time  I  could  get  no  answer  to  the  tele 
grams  I  sent  regarding  the  resignations  in  the  6th,  but 
at  length  I  received  a  definite  statement,  and  also  a 
strong  recommendation  for  the  appointment  of  Colonel 
Rice  as  the  commanding  officer  of  the  regiment.  It 
took  me,  perhaps,  less  than  an  hour  to  decide.  There 
were  many  men  in  the  State  House  who  knew  the 
record  of  Colonel  Rice  during  the  Civil  War,  and  I  there 
fore  appointed  him  instantly. 

The  reports  which  I  received  of  the  regiment  there 
after  caused  me  to  think  that  I  had  made  no  mistake  in 
so  doing.  I  learned  that  the  appointment  of  Colonel 
Rice  had  been  well  received  by  the  regiment,  and  that 
the  tone  of  the  regiment  had  been  raised  to  what  it 
should  be,  and  it  was  profoundly  gratifying  to  me. 

Maj.  C.  K.  Darling  was  introduced  as  the  next 
and  final  speaker.  He  reviewed  briefly  the  march 
of  the  regiment  across  Porto  Rico?  and  spoke  of  the 
day  when  Colonel  Rice  first  joined  it.  He  said : 

I  want  the  colonel  to  believe  that  when  he  rode  along 
the  line  that  day,  he  rode  straight  into  the  hearts  of 
every  officer  and  man  in  the  regiment.  Colonel  Rice, 
the  officers  of  the  6th  Regiment  wish  in  some  way  to 
show  their  appreciation  of  your  service  and  their  affec 
tion  for  you. 

Here  is  something  which  may  remind  you  of  this  occa 
sion,  and  of  other  occasions.  It  is  shaped  like  unto  the 
tin  cup  which  we  saw  not  long  ago.  I  cannot  guarantee 


286      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

that  the  handles  are  made  from  the  horns  of  the  Porto 
Rican  bulls  which  used  to  delay  us  in  our  progress 
across  the  island ;  but  we  offer  it  to  you  with  our  most 
sincere  regard  and  esteem,  and  we  hope  when  you 
resign  from  the  service  in  which  you  have  served  so 
long  and  so  faithfully,  that  you  will  return  to  the  Com 
monwealth  of  Massachusetts,  and  settle  among  those 
who  will  always  have  a  friendly  feeling  toward  you. 

We  wish  you  to  believe  that,  wherever  you  may  go 
or  whatever  friends  you  may  make,  you  will  find  none 
that  are  truer  or  more  sincere  than  those  you  see  before 
you  to-night. 

While  Major  Darling  was  speaking  he  was  filling 
with  champagne  a  magnificent  silver  loving  cup, 
about  ten  inches  high,  with  buckhorn  handles. 
On  one  side  is  an  enamelled  Spanish  rosette,  like 
those  which  the  regiment  wore  as  a  distinguish 
ing  badge  on  its  return  from  Porto  Rico,  and  on 
the  other  is  the  following  inscription : 

Presented  to  Col.  Edmund  Rice  of  the  6th  Massa 
chusetts  Volunteer  Infantry  by  the  officers  of  his  regi 
ment,  who  served  in  Porto  Rico,  as  a  tribute  to  his 
character  as  a  soldier  and  a  man.  January  21,  1899. 

Colonel  Eice  said  :  — 

I  am  unable  to  express  my  thanks  to  you,  gentlemen, 
for  the  souvenir  which  you  have  so  kindly  presented  to 
me,  but  I  drink  to  the  health  of  the  Gth  Massachusetts. 

The  cup  was  passed  clown  the  table,  each  officer 
as  it  reached  him  rising  in  his  place  and  drinking 


r. 


m 


STATUE  OF  COLUMBUS,  SAX  JUAN. 


Homeward  Bound  289 

to  the  colonel.  When  the  cup  had  gone  the  rounds, 
the  officers  rose  from  their  seats,  and  gave  three 
hearty  cheers  and  a  tiger  for  Colonel  Rice. 

Much  has  been  written  of  the  Porto  Rican 
campaign  in  a  light  vein.  The  absence  of  battles, 
and  the  scarcity  of  reporters,  there  being  but  one 
with  the  expedition  until  three  days  after  it  had 
landed,  have  led  the  public  to  under-estimate  the 
difficulties  and  importance  of  the  expedition. 

The  island  from  end  to  end  lends  itself  to  a 
strategic  defence,  and  nothing  but  out-manoeu 
vring  prevented  conflicts  which  must  have  been  as 
terrible  as  those  of  Cuba.  It  was  not  that  the 
spirit  of  Spain  would  have  manifested  itself  any 
less  bitterly  in  Porto  Rico  than  in  Cuba,  or  that 
the  streets  of  San  Juan  would  not  have  been 
stained  as  indelibly  with  blood  as  those  of 
Santiago ;  the  difference  lay  in  the  conception 
and  development  of  the  campaign. 

From  the  moment  of  landing  our  troops  in  the 
most  unexpected  corner  of  the  island,  the  entire 
inception  and  execution  of  the  campaign  under 
General  Miles  and  his  assistants  was  brilliant. 
And  while  the  signing  of  the  protocol  held  in  mid 
air  the  hand  raised  to  strike,  the  stroke  would 
have  been  fatal  to  Spanish  rule  in  Porto  Rico. 
And  if  that  stroke  had  been  made  and  victory 

19 


2 go      The  Sixth  Massachusetts 

gained  at  no  matter  what  sacrifice  of  troops, 
history  would  have  recorded  the  name  of  Miles 
in  large  letters.  How  much  more  should  it  do 
so  for  a  victory,  almost  bloodless,  and  one  more 
like  in  kind  to  our  naval  victories  than  anything 
else  seen  in  the  Spanish-American  War. 

That  the  6th  Massachusetts  should  have  had 
as  prominent  a  position  as  it  occupied,  might, 
owing  to  the  unfortunate  experience  which  called 
the  attention  of  the  entire  country  to  the 
regiment,  have  resulted  in  a  disappointment  to 
the  State  of  Massachusetts.  Fortunately  it  has 
not  so  proved,  for  that  the  opinion  held  by  those 
in  command  has  been  a  high  one  is  certified  to  by 
the  numerous  statements  to  that  effect. 

The  position  in  which  the  regiment  was  left 
after  the  protocol  was  signed,  was  a  peculiar  one, 
in  which  there  was  an  unusual  opportunity  for 
showing  strength.  The  officers  were  called  upon 
to  fill  positions  of  trust  involving  not  only  an 
intimate  knowledge  of  military  and  civil  law,  but 
that  equally  difficult  role  of  being  acceptable  to 
the  people,  while  just  to  our  vanquished  enemy. 
Not  only  the  majors,  but  almost  every  captain  was 
called  upon  to  act  as  "  alcalde  "  pro  tern.,  and  hold 
the  reins  of  local  government. 

The  successful  issue  of  all  these  duties  was 
due  not  to  the  efficiency  of  the  officers  alone,  but 


Homeward  Bound  291 

largely  to  the  confidence  inspired  by  the  rank  and 
file,  in  whom  the  natives  had  great  trust. 

The  war  has  ended,  and  the  members  of  the 
6th,  again  civilians,  have  committed  to  the  State 
their  record,  satisfied  in  the  consciousness  that  it 
may  be  filed  beside  that  of  the  6th  of  '61. 

Governor  Wolcott  said,  in  his  annual  message, 
of  the  6th  Massachusetts  :  — 

'•  Under  a  colonel  appointed  by  me  from  the  regular 
service,  to  take  the  place  of  its  former  commander,  who 
had  resigned,  the  regiment  won  a  reputation  for  soldierly 
discipline  and  efficiency  worthy  of  its  historic  past." 


Roster 


FIELD   AND  STAFF   OFFICERS. 

EDMUND  RICK,  Colonel.;  BUTLER  AMES,  Lieutenant  Colonel ; 
CHARLES  K.  DARLING,  Major ;  GEORGE  H.  PRIEST,  Major; 
EDWARD  J.  GIHON,  Major;  STANWOOD  G.  SWEETSER,  First 
Lieutenant  and  Quartermaster;  GEORGE  F.  Dow,  Major  and 
Surgeon;  FREDERIC  A.  WASHBURN,  JR.,  First  Lieutenant 
and  Assistant  Surgeon;  HERMAN  W.  GROSS,  First  Lieutenant 
and  Assistant  Surgeon;  CLARENCE  W.  COOLIDGE,  Adjutant; 
Rev.  GEORGE  D.  RICE.  Chaplain. 


NON-COMMISSIONED   STAFF. 

J.  Victor  Carey,  Sergeant  Major,-  Frank  H.  Hackett, 
Quartermaster  Sergeant;  Stephen  E.  Ryder,  Hospital  Stew 
ard;  Harrie  C.  Hunter,  Hospital  Steward;  Edwin  D.  Towle, 
Hospital  Steward;  Edwin  G.  Morse,  Chief  Musician  ;  Frank 
J.  Metcalf,  Principal  Musician  ;  William  R.  Murphy,  Prin 
cipal  Musician. 

BAND. 

George  W.  Chesley.  Joseph  W.  Davis,  Alfred  R.  Day, 
Arthur  Drennan,  E.  B.  Lancey,  Albert  C.  Martin,  Edward 
N.  Mulvey,  Joseph  M.  Nagle,  Walter  E.  Reinhard,  Frank 
Rigg>  W.  A.  Simmons,  Isadore  Vigeant,  Oliver  D.  Wood, 
Charles  A.  Woodcome. 


Roster 


COMPANY    A. 

EDWARD  J.  GIHON,  Captain. 

Louis  D.  HUNTON,  First  Lieutenant. 

F.  E.  EDWARDS,  Second  Lieutenant. 


Charles  Bridge,  1st  sergt. 
Jas.  H.  Keough,  Q.  M.  sergt. 
Harvey  G.  Brockbank. 


Sergeants. 

John  II.  McMahon. 
Arthur  G.  Oliver. 
Alton  R.  Sedgley. 


Harris  E.  Billings. 
Wilbur  I.  Broad. 
Edgar  O.  Dewey,  Jr. 
Harold  E.  Fales. 
William  B.  Feindel. 
William  A.  Haley. 
Philip  J.  McCook. 


Corporals. 

Elmer  E.  Morrison. 
Charles  F.  Parker. 
George  P.  Rich. 
Hay  don  Richardson. 
J.  Fred.  Ronan. 
Charles  H.  Tabbut. 


George  W.  Chesley,  Musician. 
William  C.  Jaques,  Musician. 
Dion  A.  Malone,  Artificer. 
John  Stock,  Wagoner. 


Privates. 


Alden,  Harry  P. 
Armisteacl,  Lewis  A. 
Austin,  Arthur  F. 
Ay  scon  gh,  George. 
Bancroft,  John  R. 
Barrett,  William  F. 
Baxter,  Augustus  M. 


Bell,  Stewart  S. 
Bennett,  George  A. 
Boag,  Robert  B. 
Bradford,  Harry  S. 
Brown,  Lewis  W. 
Butler,  Edward  W. 
Card,  George  W. 


MAJOR  K.  J.  GIHON. 
2D  LT.  F.  E.  EDWARDS.  IST  LT.  Louis  D.  HUNTON. 


Roster 


297 


Charlton,  Lawrence  II. 
Collett,  Charles  J. 
Coimell,  Henry  P. 
Connelly,  Edward  J. 
Copeland,  George  O. 
Gushing,  George  W. 
Cushman,  Allerton  S. 
Desmond,  Daniel  J. 
Doten,  Amos  W. 
Dulong,  Enos. 
Durward,  George. 
Ellis,  Alfred. 
Feindle,  Henry  A. 
Flint,  John. 
Gogin,  Ernest  B. 
Hackett,  Frank  H. 
Hale,  Walter  L. 
Haley,  Jesse  A. 
Hall,  Arthur  S. 
Hambly,  Alfonso  B. 
Hanson.  George  J. 
Hatch,  George  F. 
Hay  ward,  Frank  M. 
Hearn,  William  R. 
Hobbs,  William. 
Humphrey,  George  S. 
Kelly,  Julian  L. 
Mayer,  Albert  J. 
McDonald,  Roderick. 
McDonald,  Thomas  A. 
Mclutire,  Harry  B. 
McLean,  John. 
McNamara,  Frank. 
Mellen,  Charles  E. 


Milbnry,  Ralph  E. 
Miller,  William  J. 
Mortimer,  Clifford. 
Mullaly.  Edward  C. 
Myers,  H.  Warren. 
Newell,  Ernest  P. 
Newell,  Fred  W. 
O'Brien,  James  E. 
Oliver,  Chester  H. 
Parker,  Charles  W. 
Pearson,  Harry  A. 
Peterson,  Peter. 
Power,  Thomas  R. 
Ramsdell,  Herbert  A. 
Ray,  Franklin  A. 
Read,  Noel  C. 
Reid,  George  W. 
Richardson,  Robert  L. 
Roberts,  Richard  A. 
Robertson,  John  N. 
Rooney,  George  A. 
Sackett,  Fred  S. 
Sweetser,  Walter  I. 
Taylor,  Brainerd. 
Taylor,  Edward  S. 
Thistle,  Fred  C. 
Tworoger,  Philip. 
Tyler,  Lucius  A. 
Wait,  Nathan  H. 
Warren,  Myris  H. 
Whittle,  John  A. 
Wilson,  Gordon  W. 
Wood  worth,  William  L. 


298 


Roster 


COMPANY   B. 

ALBERT  R.  FELLOWS,  Captain. 
JAMES  C.  SMITH,  First  Lieutenant. 
HERBERT  B.    ALLEN,  Second  Lieutenant. 


Frank  V.  Gilson,  1st  sergt. 
George  II.  Lawrence,   Q.  M. 

sergt. 
Alexander  S.  Ewen,  color  sr/t. 


Sergeant*. 

Sumner  B.  Lawrence. 
George  A.  Stevens. 
George  II .  Troinbly. 


Albert  C.  Cutler. 
Walter  A.  Derby. 
Arthur  M.  Ferson. 
Herbert  N.  Fisk. 
George  H.  Lewis. 
Richard  C.  Littlehale. 


Corporals. 

Ernest  C.  Meekham. 
Fred  S.  Moore. 
Albert  J.  Phillips. 
William  J.  Robinson, 
Marvin  W.  Sherwin. 
Arthur  L.  Sunbury. 


John  Hamburg,  Musician. 
Scott  G.  Ilutchinson,  Musician. 
John  T.  Scanlan,  Artificer. 
Clinton  T.  Lane,  Wagoner. 


Akeley,  Charles  E. 
Anderson,  Charles. 
Bailey,  Walter  A. 
Balch,  Fred  L. 
Bigelow,  William  C. 
Bonny,  Ralph  W. 
Benjamin  F.  Bourne. 
Brewer,  Charles  II. 


Privates. 

Briscoe,  William  D. 
Burnett,  Henry  J. 
Cairns,  Malcolm. 
Campbell,  John  H. 
Carroll,  Edward  P. 
Chase.  Frank  M. 
Cook,  Arthur  II. 
Grossman,  Leon  II. 


Roster 


299 


Coulter,  Joseph. 
Coulter,  John  K. 
Cutting,  George  T. 
Damon,  Ralph  K. 
Darch,  Alfred  J. 
Downey,  Jeremiah  E. 
Due,  William  E. 
Dufort,  Edward  G. 
Edwards,  Clarence  A. 
Ferrin,  Levi  L. 
Fillebrown,  Harry  E. 
Fitzgerald,  Percy  II. 
Foote,  Freeman. 
Foster,  Charles  W. 
Frayer,  Hugh. 
French,  George  A. 
Gilbert,  Frank. 
Gunu,  Charles  W. 
Harley,  Jr.,  Robert. 
Hathaway,  Charles  H. 
Hoffman,  Harry  M. 
Hunt,  Alvin  S. 
Horton,  Myron  O. 
Jewett,  William  S. 
Johnson,  Charles  L. 
Johnson,  Carl  C. 
Johnson,  Walter  1>. 
Kent,  Frank  W. 
Kirby,  Ollie  F. 
Kittredge,  Arthur  M. 
Knight,  Walter  S. 
Knox,  Edward  C. 
Lancey,  Edwin  B. 
Latimer,  Andrew  J, 


Lett,  Stephen  H. 
McCornisky,  Charles  F. 
Mottitt,  John  II. 
bloody,  Jesse  A. 
Xewcombe,  George  H. 
Xute,  John  I>. 
O'Brian,  Richard  I). 
Orr,  John  INI. 
Preston,  Albert  A. 
Reed,  Harvey. 
Robertson,  George  L. 
Rossner,  Louis. 
Schlott,  Gustav  A. 
Smith,  Scott  L. 
Snow,  David  A. 
Still,  Roland  L. 
Syme,  Robert. 
Talbot,  Joseph  R. 
Tarbell,  Harry  A. 
Thomas,  Charles  A. 
Tierney,  William  T. 
Vosburg,  Walter  H. 
Wads  worth,  John  W. 
Washer,  Ethan  II. 
Watson,  Frank  L. 
Way,  Allan. 
Webb,  Edward  C. 
Webber,  Rollin  F. 
Weir,  Alexander. 
Wheeler,  Ernest  X. 
Whitman,  Stephen  A. 
Williams,  George. 
Young,  Leon  E.  C. 
Younglove,  William  K. 


300 


Roster 


COMPANY  c. 

ALEXANDER  GKEIG,  JR.,  Captain. 
THOMAS  LIVINGSTON,  First  Lieutenant. 
FRED.  D.  COSTELLO,  Second  Lieutenant. 


Sergeants. 


Colb}7  T.  Kittredge,  1st  seryt. 
AVulter  P.  Berry,  Q.M.  seryt. 
Geo.  C.  Weuden,  Q.M.  seryt. 
Arthur  Ashworth. 


Otto  S.  Halm. 
Victor  J.  Hosmer. 
Alexander  D.  Mitchell. 


Corporals. 


Edward  A.  Barnes. 
Herbert  C.  Bellamy. 
J.  Victor  Carey. 
Fred  N.  Charland. 
Ralph  W.  Clogston. 


Russell  S.  Goring. 


James  X.  Greig. 
Horatio  W.  Hatch. 
Willard  D.  Pratt. 
AVilliam  E.  Savage. 
Arthur  H.  Tattle. 
Leslie  J.  AVisener. 


Francis  Rigg,1  Musician. 
Fred  D.  AVoodbury,  Musician. 
Ezra  Bowden,  Artificer. 
Bert  AV.  Chandler,  Wagoner. 


Privates. 

Ball,  Edward  E. 
Blanchard,  Elezor. 
Blenuerhassett,  Arthur 
Brophy,  John  S. 
Burns,  Francis. 
Connell,  George  H. 

1  Transferred  to  Regimental  Band  Sept.  30,  '98. 


Abbott,  Philip  E. 
Aldrich,  Eugene  L. 
Archibald,  Albert  R. 
Ash  worth,  Thomas. 
Bagshaw,  Jr.,  AV  alter  H. 
Baker,  Ben. 


CAPTAIN  ALEXANDER  GKEIG. 
IST  LT.  THOMAS  LIVINGSTON.  2r>  LT.  FRED.  J).  COSTELLO. 


Roster 


303 


Cooke,  William  E. 
Crawford,  Sewall  J. 
Curtiu,  Charles  E. 
Davis,  Joseph  W. 
Davidson,  William. 
Deloune,  Joseph. 
Demaraiz,  Odina. 
Dexter,  Robert  C. 
Douglas,  Frank  C. 
Duffy,  Charles  J. 
Duncan,  Augustus  E. 
Dunlavey,  George  F. 
Ellis,  Thomas. 
Eaueuf,  Charles  L. 
Flanagan,  Edward  M. 
Garland,  Arthur  E. 
Gifford,  David  T. 
Gillingham,  George  D. 
Goodwin,  Walter  E. 
Halloran,  John  J. 
Hardy,  Maurice  E. 
Harmon.  Fred  E. 
Hastings,  Fred  D. 
Hutchins,  Edmund  F. 
Kelly,  Frank  L. 
Kelsey,  John  H. 
Kimball,  Clifton  P. 
Kincaid,  James. 
Landry,  Homer  J. 
La  Point,  John  J. 
Larkiu,  John. 
Maxfield,  James  P. 
McAuley,  Archibald. 
McGlynn,  Frank. 
McKenzie,  James. 
McQuesten,  Harry  W. 


Mercier,  Louis. 
Miller,  Ross, 
florin,  Ouila. 
Xealley,  Albert  F. 
Nowlan,  Edwin  E. 
O'Brien,  Frank  D. 
O'Hearn,  Francis  J. 
Ostreicher,  Jacob. 
Parke,  Frank  G. 
Peterson,  George  W. 
Pihl,  Carl  F. 
Regnier,  Samuel. 
Richardson,  Albert  E. 
Royal,  John  J. 
Ryan,  Martin  J. 
Sauboni,  William  B. 
Savage,  Asa  J. 
Savage,  Herbert. 
Sears,  Eben  J. 
Secord,  Louis  O. 
Sutherland,  George. 
Tilton,  Charles  E. 
Tremble,  Mede. 
Yarnum,  Algernon  B. 
Walch,  Herman  S. 
Walker,  Ernest  L. 
Walker,  John  B. 
Walker,  William. 
Waugh,  George. 
Williamson,  Dan  R. 
Winslow,  Charles  S. 
Whitcher,  Frank  B. 
Worthen,  Jr.,  George  E. 
Young,  Edward  L. 
Young,  Thomas  A. 


304 


Roster 


COMPANY   1). 

JOHN  F.  MCDOWELL,  Captain. 
AXDUKAV  J.  WKLAX,  First  Lieutenant. 
WILLIAM  L.  CONRAD,  Second  Lieutenant. 


Sergeants. 

Jeremiah  J.  McDowell,  Ixtsrjt. 
William  II.  Dohm,  Q.M.scjt. 
Lewis  F.  Fajran. 


Michael  L.  Flynn. 
Patrick  J.  Moraii. 
John  J.  O'Connor. 


Corporals. 


Anthony  J.  Conlon. 
John  T.  Gallagher. 
Thomas  Godly. 
Daniel  G.  Mahau. 
Thomas  F.  Mulqueeny. 
Mark  L.  O'Toole. 


James  F.  Percival. 
John  J.  Shea. 
Edward  T.  Sullivan. 
William  J.  Sweeney, 
John  F.  Whooley. 
William  W.  Wilde. 


James  F.  Coone}',  Musician. 
Frank  H.  Noon  an,  Musician. 
John  J.  Dunn,  Artificer. 
William  A.  Chute,  Wagoner. 


Bacon,  Frank  L.  E. 
Baker,  G.  Frank. 
Bell,  William  J. 
Bird,  Horace. 
Bonner,  Charles. 
Bosley,  George. 
Campbell,  Joseph. 
Carleson,  Herman. 


Privates. 

Carney,  James  F. 
Collins,  Michael  J. 
Connors,  Daniel  J. 
Connor,  John  II. 
Crowley,  Daniel  P. 
C alien,  Joseph  W. 
Dailey,  Dennis  F. 
Daly,  Ambrose. 


Jr. 


Roster 


305 


Dclaney,  John  J. 
Deslaurius,  Xezaire. 
Donahue,  Michael. 
Donohue,  Michael  L. 
Driscoll,  Frank. 
Fagan,  George  W. 
Fahey,  Martin  T. 
Faron,  Michael  J. 
Fenton,  Eugene. 
Foley,  William  J. 
Gaudreau,  Edward  I. 
Griffin,  James. 
Grozeile,  Emory. 
Hartuett,  Timothy  F. 
Hefferman,  James  J. 
Higgins,  Patrick. 
Iliggins,  William  J. 
Hynes,  James  P. 
Joyce,  Edward. 
Kelly,  Cornelius  R. 
Kelly,  Michael  J. 
Kelly,  Thomas  F. 
Killelea,  James. 
Killelea,  John. 
Killelea,  John  F. 
Kittredge,  Patrick  F. 
King,  Elroy  C. 
Looney,  Patrick  J. 
Lucier.  Frederick  R. 
Lynch,  John  P. 
Mahan,  Philip  II. 
Maher,  John  J. 
Markham,  George  A. 
May,  Jr.,  William. 
McCarron,  James. 


McClarty,  William 
McCormack,  John  J. 
McCoy,  Peter  H. 
McDonald,  Christopher  L. 
McEachen,  John  T. 
McGinn,  Edward. 
McMahan,  Bernard  J. 
McXamara.  Martin. 
McXally,  Thomas. 
Mealey,  George  E. 
Mitten,  Thomas  H. 
Moran,  James  P. 
Moriarity,  Daniel  J. 
Merrill,  Joseph  L. 
Morrilly,  John  H. 
Mulqueeny,  James  L. 
Murphy,  Jerrimiah. 
Xoonau,  Charles  H. 
Xugent,  George  T. 
O'Brien,  James  B. 
O'Hearn,  John  F. 
O'Rourke,  Henry  F. 
O'Rourke,  Thomas  J. 
Pepper,  Thomas  F. 
Phelan,  John  T. 
Richard,  Xapoleou  P. 
Rummery,  Charles  G. 
Ryan,  William  F. 
Bernard,  Alphonse. 
Sheehan,  Daniel. 
Skehan,  John  J. 
Smith,  Frederick  W. 
Stanton,  George  B. 
Sullivan,  Edward  T. 
Woodcome,  Charles  A. 


20 


306 


Roster 


COMPANY   E. 

JOHN  S.  MCNEILLY,  Captain. 

CLARENCE  W.  COOLIDGE,  First  Lieutenant. 

GEORGE  F.  ROWLAND,  Second  Lieutenant. 


Sergeants. 


Herbert  W.  Damon,  1st  seryt. 
James  C.  Valentine,  Q.  M.  syt. 
Frederic  M.  Kendall. 


Robert  A.  McNeilly. 
George  O.  Parker. 
William  E.  Walters. 


William  A.  Gaines. 
William  F.  Rowland. 
Asa  J.  Margerum. 
James  S.  O'Connell. 
Albert  R.  Ordway. 
Harry  Puddefoot. 


Corporals. 

Walter  F.  Rossman. 
Herbert  W.  Simpson, 
George  W.  Sullivan. 
Walter  F.  Taylor. 
Clarence  H.  Warren. 
Arthur  R.  Yates. 


Herbert  A.  Forbusb,  Musician. 
David  O'Brien,  Musician. 
James  M.  Goldthwait,  Artificer. 
William  H.  Damon,  War/oner. 


Privates. 


Archdale,  Charles. 
Bacon,  Harry  E. 
Barker,  Fletcher. 
Benson,  Joseph  L. 
Bixby,  Ernest  L. 
Blake,  Alfred  H. 
Bouvier,  Frank  A. 
Bowker,  Frank  H. 


Bragdon,  Edward  L. 
Brown,  John  W. 
Buffington,  Frank  E. 
Cain,  John  H. 
Cameron,  Donald. 
Chamberlain,  Wralter  F. 
Clapp,  Frederick  W. 
Clous;}],  Otis  F. 


Roster 


Cloyes,  Jolm  B. 
Coburn,  Clarence  A. 

Collette,  Joseph. 

Connors,  Patrick  F. 

Cullen,  Jolm  E. 

Dolan,  James  C. 

Dunn,  Cornelius  J. 

Einrich,  Melvin  E. 

Engler,  Joseph. 

Fay,  Herbert  C. 

Fisher,  Charles  II. 

Fletcher, Warren  L. 

Foley,  Michael  H. 

Forbush,  Preston  D. 

Gallagher,  Frank  C. 

G  ana  way.  Frank  J. 

Hanson,  Peter. 

Hardigan,  "William  C. 
Harding,  Frank  L. 
Harris,  Olney  H. 
James,  Lewis  C. 
Johnson,  Oscar  E. 
Keating,  David  F. 
Kelley,  William  A. 
Lane,  George  R. 
Lincoln,  Caleb  H. 
Littlefield,  Charles  J. 
Lord,  William  E. 
Marsh,  Alfred  E. 
Meehan,  Joseph  P. 
Monahan,  Philip  P. 
McDonald,  Duncan  A. 
McGrath,  Edward  F. 
McElroy,  Thomas  H. 


307 


McMann,  Charles  E. 

Murry,  Hugh  A. 

Nevitt,  Edgar  G. 

Newell,  Henry  D. 

O'Donnell,  Michael  E. 

Panton,  John  F. 

Pease,  Charles  W.  S. 

Perry,  Herbert  E. 

Perry,  Louis  A. 
Poor,  George  E. 
Porter,  George  J. 
Price,  Albert  D. 
Prophet,  Joseph  F. 
Henry,  Ralston. 
Richard,  Louis  F. 
Robinson,  Alphonso  A. 
Rollins,  Louis  F. 
Samolis,  Thomas. 
Sanderson,  Frank  E. 
Scothorne,  WTilfred  H. 
Seaver,  George  F. 
Simmons,  William  A. 
Smith,  William  A. 
Stearns,  Archer  C. 
Stevenson,  Patrick  J. 
Stowe,  Arthur  W. 
Sullivan,  Sylvester  F. 
Tucker,  Frank  C. 
Tuttle,  Herbert  C. 
Videto,  Charles  T. 
Ward,  Daniel  T. 
W^ells,  Charles  H. 
Williston,  Frank. 
Woods.  Walter  L. 


3o8 


Roster 


COMPANY   F. 

THOMAS  E.  JACKSON,  Captain. 
FRANKLIN  G.   TAYLOR,  First  Lieutenant. 
FRANK  E.  MOORE,  Second  Lieutenant. 


Sergeants. 


Lucius  P.  Hayward,  1st  sergt. 
Harold  B.  Chamberlain, 

Q.  M.  serf  ft. 
Chas.  AY.  Holbrook,  2d  sergt. 


Frank  L.  Best. 
Warren  E.  Hapgood. 
Aaron  AY.  Hosmer. 
Walter  A.  Wood. 


Frank  W.  Buck. 
Walter  A.  Clisbee. 
Frank  E.  Cutter. 
John  L.  Grady. 
James  A.  Harris. 
George  W.  Iliggius. 


Corporals. 

Eldon  L.  Holt. 
Ernest  A.  Howe. 
Harold  A.  Leonard. 
Thomas  L.  McDorman. 
Henry  Siinard. 


Charles  H.  Small,  Musician. 
Isadore  Vigeaut,  Musician. 
Willis  H.  Page,  Artificer. 
Charles  R.  Craig,   Wagoner. 


Privates. 


Allen,  Mason  S. 
Angell,  William  J. 
Barry,  James  W. 
Berry,  Clifton  R. 
Berry,  Riley  A. 
Bertrand,  Alma. 
Bishop,  David  H. 
Boniu,  Amos. 


Brodeur,  Eli. 
Burhoe,  Herman  W. 
Chamberlain,  Henry  W 
Chartier,  Frank  X. 
Clapp,  Arthur  W. 
Clements,  Edmund  F. 
Cole,  John  O. 
Colleary,  Michael  E. 


Roster 


3°9 


Colleary,  John  P. 
Cowern,  Walter  H. 
Cutler,  George  E. 
Delude,  Dolor  O. 
Duley,  Wilmot  F. 
Estabrook,  Fred  W. 
Estey,  Frank  T. 
Faulkner,  Arthur  C. 
Fay,  William  E. 
Frazel,  Jeremiah. 
Goulet,  Harmodias. 
Gour,  Wilfred. 
Green,  John  F. 
Grover,  John  W. 
Haight,  Edwin  E. 
Plain es,  Ira  J. 
Herrick,  George  B. 
Hersey,  Arthur  B. 
Howard,  Ernest  D. 
Howe,  Everett  C. 
Howe,  Fred  W. 
Howe,  Elton  E. 
Hunt,  Chester  W. 
Hutch,  Thomas  G. 
Hutch,  James. 
Johnson,  Ervin  F. 
Keith,  Lester  O. 
Kellette,  John  W. 
Knight,  Edmund  G. 
Lafay,  Desithe. 
Lee,  Robert  E. 
Le  Page,  S.  Wright. 
Lheureux,  Louis. 
Lovely,  Edward. 


Marshall,  Ernest  D. 
Martin,  James  J. 
McCarthy,  Charles  F.  X. 
McCarthy,  William  F. 
McGee,  Timothy. 
Melansou,  Leander. 
Miles,  Albert  E. 
Mills,  Fred  H. 
Mullen,  Thomas  F. 
Newton,  Carl  ton  A. 
O'Brien,  Dennis  W. 
O'Brien,  John  V. 
O'Clair,  Joseph. 
Pallardy,  Fenny. 
Parker,  Ralph  A. 
Patterson,  James  G. 
Perry,  Charles  H . 
Pichette,  Frank. 
Readir,  Walter  H. 
Redding,  Walter  T. 
Rodgers,  S.  Walter. 
Rowles,  Clarence  A. 
Rowles,  Henry  T. 
Ruggles,  Harry  C. 
Ryan,  Thomas  T. 
Sasseville,  Louis. 
Schwartz,  Ardeen. 
Sturff,  Frank  D. 
Taylor,  Harry  A. 
Trowbridge,  William  F. 
Wadden,  William  S. 
Ward,  John  A. 
Willard,  Harry  R, 
Wright,  Irving  C. 


Roster 


COMPANY   G. 

WILLIAM  FAIRWEATHER,  Captain. 
GEORGE  S.  HOWARD,  First  Lieutenant. 
GARDNER  W.  PEARSON,  Second  Lieutenant. 


George  H.  McNamara. 


/Sergeants. 

William  T.  Andrews. 


Frederic  C.  M.  Silk,  Istsergt. 
Frank  A.  Boyle,  Q.  M.  sergt. 


Pearl  T.  Durrell. 
Murdock  McKinuon. 


Fred  W.  Barris. 
Richard  J.  Barton. 
Frank  Dodge. 
Forrest  W.  Durant. 
Napoleon  E.  Fisher. 
Bernard  E.  French. 


Corporals. 

Wm.  E.  Golden. 
Daniel  M.  Hayes. 
Henry  E.  Hopkins. 
Fred  G.  Hunton. 
Jeremiah  Leary. 
William  M.  Prescott. 


Andrew  J.  Cashman,  Musician. 
Daniel  J.  Donovan,  Musician. 
Curtin  E.  Bonham,  Artificer. 
Herbert  C.  Mason,  Wagoner. 


Privates. 


Aldrich,  Harvey  M. 
Baker,  Edwin  G. 
Barclay,  Guy  R. 
Boucher,  Arthur. 
Bourdon,  Arthur  A. 
Brackley,  Ralph  A. 
Brock,  George  H. 
Bull,  Jenbert  W. 


Busby,  Samuel. 
Caldwell,  John  A. 
Carley,  Bartholomew. 
Chase,  Walter  R. 
Cheney,  Frederick  R. 
Giordan,  George  A. 
Clifford,  Fred  H. 
Connelly,  John  J. 


Roster 


311 


Conners,  Thomas  F. 
Crawford,  Joseph. 
Cryan,  John  P. 
Dane,  Charles  A.  L. 
Del  more,  John  A. 
Demange,  Levi. 
Dempsey,  John  W. 
Devine,  Joseph  P. 
Dewel,  Calvin  H. 
Donohoe,  Dennis  J. 
Donohoe,  James  A. 
Doyle,  Thomas  W. 
Driscoll,  Patrick  H. 
Finnegan,  John. 
Gair,  John  J. 
Gannon,  John  II . 
Garity,  Thomas  T. 
Gibbons,  Richard. 
Goodwin,  William  J. 
Greene,  Frank  D. 
Grenier,  Armenie  H. 
Gnyette,  John  P. 
Halpin,  George  W. 
Harmon,  George  P. 
Harrington,  Michael  H, 
Hartley,  George  A. 
Hill,  John. 
Howe,  Francis  G. 
Hunt,  William  F. 
Iby,  Frank  M. 
Johnson,  Charles  C. 
Keville,  Peter  F. 
LaBounty,  Harold. 
Langell,  William  H. 


Low,  John. 
Maguire,  John  J. 
Maitrejean,  Joseph  L. 
McCann,  Eugene  F. 
McDermott,  John  J. 
Mervin,  William  F. 
Miles,  Waldo  F. 
Mooney,  William  J. 
Muldoon,  Thomas  F. 
Munroe,  Frank  J. 
Murphy,  Joseph  F. 
Murray,  Michael  J. 
Noonan,  James  J. 
O'Brien,  John  W. 
Pearson,  James  A. 
Peltier,  William  X. 
Phillips,  Judson  A. 
Reay,  Thomas. 
Sansom,  Joseph. 
Sarvais,  Napoleon, 
Spaulding,  Charles  J. 
Sullivan,  Cornelius  J. 
Thibeault,  Williams. 
Turcoth,  Homer  L.  P. 
Upham,  Burton  L. 
Wallace,  Patrick  H. 
Waltham,  Ernest. 
Ward,   John  H. 
Weeks,  Forrest  T. 
Worthern,  Walter  E. 
Wroe,  John  W. 
Young,  Eugene  E. 
Young,  Harold  L. 


3I2 


Roster 


COMPANY   H. 

WARREN  E.    SWEETSER,  Captain. 
GEORGE  R.  BARNSTEAD,  First  Lieutenant. 
HENRY  A.   TIIAYER,  Second  Lieutenant. 


Sergeants. 


John  L.  Gilson,  1st  sergt. 
Arthur  N.  Newhall,    Q.  3 

sergt. 
William  I).  Desmond. 


Duncan  M.  Stewart. 
George  L.  Tabbut. 
Clarke  D.  Whiteman. 


Corporals. 


Marcus  F.  Ames. 
Ralph  H.  Barnstead. 
Sumner  E.  Barnstead. 
George  A.  Cannell. 
James  S.  Deacon. 
Charles  W.  Evans. 


1  Robert  W.  Lowe. 
Frederick  W.  Miller. 
William  F.  Poole. 
Patrick  J.  Scanlon. 
Arthur  K.  Tabbut. 
Samuel  F.  Wiggin. 


Frank  A.  Wilkins,  Musician. 
George  B.  Williams,  Artificer. 
Peter  Quinn,  Wagoner. 


Privates. 


Ames,  Francis  C. 
Bagge,  George  W. 
Barnes,  Robert  J. 
Bartlett,  Ernest  M. 
Belyea,  Beverly. 
Blades,  James  W. 
Breagy,  William  E. 
Burns,  John. 


Calhoun,  Percy  R. 
Camerlin,  Henry  G. 
Carroll,  George  F. 
Cass,  Albert  H. 
Cavanaugh,  William  F. 
Childs,  Melville  B. 
Coakley,  William  P. 
Connolly,  Michael  J. 


Roster 


3*5 


Croke,  Thomas  M. 
Crooker,  Winfield  S. 
Cutts,  Winthrop  R. 
Dalton,  Michael  J. 
Davidson,  Thomas  F. 
Dewhurst,  Dwight  D. 
Dillon,  Joseph  J. 
Dinsmore,  Charles  F. 
Douglass,  George  A. 
Forgette,  Henry  L. 
Forsythe,  George  A.  B. 
Granville,  Elmer. 
Hathaway,  Joseph  B. 
Hawkes,  George  W. 
Hermanson,  Alfred  J. 
Hoey,  Eugene  F. 
Holden,  Walter  A. 
Houston,  Arthur  G. 
Irving,  Arthur. 
Jameson,  Walter. 
Kallberg,  Edwin. 
Kelley,  Frederick. 
LaMountain,  Walter  A. 
Lawrence,  Warren  G. 
LeDuc,  William  H. 
MacLeod,  George  I. 
Malcomson,  John  A. 
Marr,  Edward  L. 
Matthews,  Frank  H. 
McCarthy,  Eugene  L. 
McCiintock,  David. 
McCrillis,  John  W. 
McDonough,  Martin  F. 
McGann,  John. 
McGovern,  James. 
McKay,  Augustus  H. 


McPartlen,  Felix  J. 
Mercer,  Henry. 
Merrill,  Rufus  A. 
Moore,  Fred  C. 
Morley,  Frank  E. 
Morrison,  Herbert  E. 
Mugridge,  William  F. 
Muller,  William  P. 
Noonan,  Thomas. 
Nutting,  John  II. 
Ogilvie,  Walter  W. 
O'Xiel,  Denis  E. 
Patch,  Claude  E. 
Patterson,  Frederick  C. 
Payne,  George  R. 
Peavey,  Edgar  M. 
Rabbitt,  Michael  C. 
Robinson,  Ralph  C. 
Ronco,  William  E. 
Scanlon,  John  W. 
Shaw,  Edward  B. 
Sicord,  Armand  V. 
Smalley,  Edward  B. 
Smith,  WTilliam  H. 
Stevens,  Chester  H. 
Turnbull,  Charles  H. 
Turner,  Harry  A. 
Twitchell,  James  H. 
Walker,  John  J. 
Warren,  Leon  E. 
Wheelock,  Frank  R. 
Wilkius,  Fred  L. 
Willson,  George  L. 
Wright,  Gilbert. 
Young,  Edwin  J. 


3i6 


Roster 


COMPANY  I. 

CYRUS  H.  COOK,  Captain. 

JOSEPH  S.  HART,  First  Lieutenant. 

WILLIAM  N.  DECKER,  Second  Lieutenant. 

Sergeants. 


Francis  T.  Jackson,  1st  senjt. 
John  W.  Hagerty,  2d  sergt. 
James  X.  Berry,  Q.  M.  sergt. 


James  II.  Tolman. 
Theodore  L.  Smith. 
George  P.  Hagerty. 


John  C.  Anderson. 
Charles  M.  Byron. 
James  W.  Byron. 
Philip  A.  Davis. 
Charles  F.  Golder. 
Frank  A.  Haines. 
William  H.  Hill. 


Corporals. 

Ralph  P.  Hosmer. 
Willard  Hunt. 
Arthur  J.  Leger. 
Thomas  F.  Lyons. 
Dennis  A.  Sheehan. 
Roy  S.  Whitcomb. 


Philip  M.  Emmott,  Musician. 
Charles  F.  Foreman,  Musician. 
George  M.  Lee,  Artificer. 
Edward  Giblin,  Wagoner. 
William  A.  Lakin,  Wagoner. 


Adams,  George  E. 
Algeo,  George  B. 
Algeo,  Jr.,  John  O. 
Anderson,  John  C. 
Armstrong,  Arthur  W. 
Bent,  Samuel  E. 
Blodgett,  William  H. 
Brooks,  Wallace  M. 
Burns,  Edward. 


Privates. 

Collins,  William  T. 
Corrigan,  James. 
Cronin,  Marcus. 
Cutler,  Orville  I. 
Dakin,  Alburtus  L. 
Daniels,  Ernest  N. 
Day,  Alvin. 
Dubrey,  Joseph. 
Dusseault,  Clarence, 


CAPTAIN  CYRUS  H.  COOK. 


Roster 


Flaherty,  Martin  F. 
Flaunery,  John  J. 
Fhmnery,  Michael  J. 
Ford,  Frederick  H. 
Forrest,  George  A. 
Fuller,  Percy  W. 
Gage,  Charles  P. 
Geoff rion,  Felix  J. 
Greenough,  Hanie  So 
Hagerty,  James  P. 
Hanley,  John  J. 
Hansen,  Albin  J. 
Hart,  Charles  A. 
Hart,  William  A. 
Hayes,  Joseph  B. 
Hay nes,  Josiah  B. 
Hennessey,  William  J. 
Ilildeburn,  William  L. 
Ireland,  Frank  F. 
Jones,  Daniel  W. 
Kelleher,  John  J. 
Kerry,  Horace  C. 
King,  Albert  W. 
King,  George  G. 
Knowlton,  Arthur  G. 
Losaw,  Alexander. 
Lowe,  William  L. 
Lynch,  Thomas. 
Maines,  Robert  C. 
Manion,  Thomas  J. 
Marsden,  Fred  H. 
Miner,  Charles  E. 
Moller,  Joseph  V. 


Moore,  Albert  E. 
Mclnnis,  Angus. 
Miller,  John. 
Newvine,  Alexander. 
Nickerson,  Alfred  F. 
Noon  an,  Maurice  M. 
Olsen,  John. 
Owen,  Herbert  W. 
Parkinson,  Edward  T. 
Penniman,  Frank  W. 
Pike,  Frank  B. 
Powers,  James  L. 
Prescott,  Frank  N. 
Richardson,  Llewellen  C. 
Robbius,  William  P. 
Rodan,  George  0. 
Saunders,  Harry  G. 
Simonds,  Frank. 
Sohier,  Walter. 
Souther,  Howard  B. 
Thompson,  Charles  F. 
Todd,  Jr.,  Thomas. 
Tuttle,  Fred  L. 
Tuttle,  John  B. 
Tuttle,  Walter  A. 
Webber,  Charles  E. 
White,  Thomas  F. 
Whiting,  William  E. 
Whitney,  Charles  H. 
Whin,  George  P. 
Wood,  Oliver  D. 
Worthley,  Harry  R. 


320 


Roster 


COMPANY   K. 

FRANK  E.  GRAY,  Captain. 

NEWTON  E.  PUTNEY,  First  Lieutenant. 

WILLIAM  P.  LA  CROIX,  Second  Lieutenant. 

Sergeants. 
William  F.  Lee,  1st  sergt.          \  George  E.  Reed. 


Frank  A.  Herron,  Q.  M.  sergt. 
Harry  H.  Msdzker. 
Robert  E.  Putney. 


Clarence  G.  Sbippee. 
Frank  M.  AYitherell. 


Frank  E.  Bonnette. 
George  E.  Bridgett. 
James  E.  Clements. 
Henry  Gary. 
William  Groenendyke. 
James  A.  Higgins. 


Corporals. 

Louis  P.  Holm  an. 
John  S.  Norman. 
John  A.  Peterson. 
Justus  A.  Plimpton. 
Joseph  Reno. 
George  II.  Sayles. 


Ernest  Clauson,  Artificer. 
Thomas  Grady,  Bugler. 


Privates. 


Acton,  Martin  G. 
Allard,  Narciss. 
Alton,  William  R. 
Baker,  Edwin  E. 
Belanger,  Antoene. 
Benoit,  James  J. 
Bird,  George  W. 
Bouthillette,  Joseph. 
Breen,  Edward  J. 


Butman,  Lucian  G. 
Caplett,  John. 
Carpenter,  Frank  E. 
Chapdelaine,  Albert. 
Collins,  Joseph  F. 
Condon,  William  J. 
Coughlan,  John. 
Dougan,  Russell  C. 
Drennan,  Arthur. 


Roster 


321 


Drummond,  James. 
Ducharme,  Joseph. 
Durand,  Philip. 
Egan,  George  E. 
English,  William  J. 
Ennis,  John  M. 
Fisk,  Frank  N. 
Fitzpatrick,  Michael  F. 
Flood,  Thomas  M. 
Ford,  William  F. 
Galipeau,  Omer. 
Garceau,  Napoleon. 
Garvey,  John  F. 
Gelinean,  Fred  N. 
Gerber,  Paul. 
Gray,  Everett  T. 
Hickey,  Patrick. 
Hop  wood,  Christopher. 
Johanson,  John. 
Kenuey,  James. 
Kennedy,  James  P. 
Kenworthy,  John  T. 
King,  Joseph. 
Kosmaler,  Henry  J. 
Laplant,  Peter. 
Laprade,  Hemy. 
Lowdon,  Fred. 
McGregor,  Charles  E. 
Maher,  Timothy. 
Maloney,  Dennis. 
Maloney,  James. 
Mandigo,  Adelbert. 
Martin,  Albert  C. 
Mason,  David. 


McGill,  William. 
McGniuness,  William. 
Mclutosh,  George  J. 
Mexfield,  Joseph. 
Mominee,  Alexander. 
Moran,  William  F. 
Morrissey,  Lawrence  T. 
Murtha,  Thomas  H. 
Nagle,  Joseph  M. 
Owens,  John  A. 
Paguin,  Alexander  J. 
Peloguin,  Peter. 
Peltier,  Paul  N. 
Phaneuf,  Napoleon. 
Plimpton,  Henry  E. 
Preston,  Clarence  L. 
Reinhard,  Walter  E. 
Rheaume,  Emery. 
Ryan,  James  T. 
Schur,  Fred. 
Shea,  William  J. 
Smith,  Myron  M. 
Stauik,  William  P. 
St.  John,  Alcide. 
Stone,  James. 
Tremblay,  Jr.,  Julius. 
Tromblay,  Frank. 
Vinton,  George  H. 
Vinton,  George  W. 
Ware,  Ernest  L. 
Welch,  Martin. 
Wheelock,  Warren  T. 
Wood,  Allen  L. 
Wood,  Lindsay. 


21 


322 


Roster 


COMPANY   L. 

WILLIAM  J.  WILLIAMS,  Caj)taui. 
WILLIAM  II.  JACKSON,  First  Lieutenant. 
GEORGE  W.  BKAXTON,  Second  Lieutenant. 


Sergeants. 

Luther  A.  Damlridge,  1st  syt.  \   William  B.  Gould. 
Frank  E.  Turpin,  Q.  3/.  sgt. 
Harry  II.  O.  Bin-well. 


James  E.  Jordan,  Jr. 
G.  W.  Watson. 


Corporals. 


William  S.  Carpenter. 
William  E.  Carter,  Jr., 
Charles  F.  Chandler. 
George  W.  Floyd. 
James  W.  B.  Hawkins. 
Joseph  G.  Holmes. 


Prince  A.  Jones. 
George  W.  Landers. 
William  W.  Oxley. 
Holman  J.  Pryor. 
William  H.  Saunders. 
AY  alter  J.  Stevens. 


James  II.  Moore,  Musician. 
William  S.  Washington,  Musician. 
Samuel  D.  Bradley,  Artificer. 
George  F.  Seamon,  Wagoner. 


Akins,  Edgar  D. 
Allen,  William  B. 
Andrews,  Joseph  C. 
Ball,  Charles  H. 
Betts,  George  R. 
Bostic,  Benjamin  F. 
Brannon,  George  P. 
Brooks,  Robert  W. 


Privates. 

Buckner,  Louis. 
Cannon,  Oliver  B. 
Chisolm,  Frank  R. 
Davis,  Reuben  J. 
Day,  Jeremiah  B. 
Dennis,  George  A. 
Dewey,  Edward  G. 
Duffus,  Samuel  L. 


CAPTAIN  W.  J.  WILLIAMS. 
IST  LT.  W.  II.  JACKSON.  2o  LT.  G.  W.  BRAXTON. 


Roster 


325 


Dunbar,  Lewis  K. 
Fletcher,  Thomas  S. 
Franklin,  George  II. 
Freeman,  Ulysses  G. 
Gaskins,  Alfred  H. 
Gorings,  Jacob  H. 
Gordon,  George  H. 
Gordon,  Robert  E. 
Gray,  John  S. 
Green,  Milton. 
Griffin,  Reuben  J. 
Harding,  Edward. 
Harding,  Thomas  S. 
Harrison,  Lawrence  O. 
Hodges,  Thomas  P.  B. 
Holden,  Charles  S. 
Irons,  William  H. 
Jackson,  Frank  P. 
Jackson,  John  W. 
Jones,  Charles  M. 
Jones,  George  W. 
Jordan,  Arthur  E. 
Johnson,  William  H. 
Kelly,  Bernard. 
Kenswil,  Ernest  A. 
Knox,  Elijah  H. 
Lee,  Theodore  W. 
Lewis,  Jerome  T. 
Mahone,  George  B. 
Maynard,  Clarence  L. 
McCarty,  James  H. 
McClenney,  John  L. 
Moore,  James  A. 
Monroe,  Henry  N. 


Morandus,  Joseph. 
Pate,  William. 
Perkins,  Marc  A. 
Phillips,  James  A. 
Phillips,  Raymond  L. 
Rickson,  William  L. 
Riley,  John  E. 
Robinson,  Charles  W. 
Shaw,  Archibald  W. 
Sidney,  John  D. 
Smith,  Charles  A. 
Smith,  Charles  S. 
Smith,  Fred.  W. 
Spriggs,  Arthur  H. 
Stewart,  Charles  S. 
Stewart,  William  D. 
Stokes,  Edward  C. 
Thomas,  Edward  E. 
Thompson,  James  A. 
Tillmon,  John  J. 
Tolson,  Harry  W. 
Tynes,  Edward  C. 
Twist,  James  P. 
Vandyke,  Richard. 
Washington,  George. 
Wheaton,  Horace  F. 
Williams,  Eugene  P. 
Williams,  Frank  J. 
Williams,  Oliver  J. 
Wilson,  Fred.  C. 
Wilson,  George  L. 
Wilson,  William  H. 
Wiufield,  Peter  J. 
Woolfolk,  Carroll  H. 


326 


Roster 


COMPANY   M. 

JOHN  F.  BARRETT,  Captain. 
FREEMAN  L.  SMITH,  First  Lieutenant. 
ARTHUR  J.  DRAPER,  Second  Lieutenant. 

Sergeants. 


Stanley  Donahue,  1st  sergt. 
George  A.  Wilcox,  Q. M.  sergt. 
William  W.  Conner. 


Warren  S.  Day. 
James  Furse. 
A.  B.  Trask. 


Frank  L.  Arnold. 
Edwin  J.  Bennett. 
Samuel  B.  Bradner. 
Herbert  B.  Briggs. 
Harry  B.  Chesmore. 
Frederick  Croto. 


Corporals. 

John  E.  Donnelly. 
Arthur  B.  Edmands. 
Fred  Gaskill. 
Willard  G.  Speirs. 
Robert  M.  Trask. 


Mark  Bentley,  Musician. 
Alfred  R.  Day,  Musician. 
Benjamin  S.  Allen,  Artificer. 
Edward  W.  Howe,   Wagoner. 


Privates. 


Adams,  Harry  L. 
Arrand,  William  B. 
Arrand,  David  K. 
Barrows,  Fred  S. 
Bartlett,  Harry  S. 
Bellimeur,  Charles. 
Brownell,  Elmer  F. 
Callahan,  Charles  P. 
Carbone,  Anthony  J. 


Cheney,  Harry  B. 
Chesmore,  Otis  0. 
Conway,  Frank. 
Cook,  Richard  II. 
Corcoran,  John  T. 
Corcoran,  Timothy  J. 
Cosrnan,  Richard  A. 
Cronan,  Dennis  P. 
Crowell,  Earnest. 


2D  LIEUT.  ARTHUR  J.  DRAPER. 


Roster 


329 


Crowley,  William. 
Day,  Alfred  K. 
Doremus,  John. 
Dwyer,  John  J. 
English,  Martin  E. 
Fisher,  Charles  H. 
Fiske,  Alfred  E. 
Foley,  Lawrence  F. 
French,  Carl  H. 
French,  Paul  T. 
Frink,  Alfred  B. 
Gaffney,  John  F. 
Gerstner,  John  F. 
Gilmore,  Walter  A. 
Gorman,  David  W. 
Gorman,  Henry  P. 
Greene,  Harry  F. 
Iladdican,  Thomas. 
Hansis,  George. 
Hanson,  Edward. 
Hogan,  Michael. 
Hollis,  James  H. 
Hunter,  Lloyd  F. 
Ingram,  George  W. 
Johnson,  Charles  E. 
Karle,  Charles  E.  0. 
Kelly,  Patrick. 
Kenny,  Clarence  F. 
Lalley,  Jr.,  James  L. 
Lynch,  Edward  J. 
Lynch,  Edward  T. 
Macuen,  Millard  J. 
Mahoney,  Jeremiah. 
Martin,  Daniel  H. 


Martin,  John  C. 
Martin,  John  J. 
Mathewson,  John  D. 
Mayor,  Fred  F. 
McCarter,  Fred  D. 
McHugh,  James. 
McKay,  James  W. 
McKenna,  Daniel  F. 
McMahon,  Charles. 
McMahon,  Dennis  F. 
Morrissey,  James  M. 
Morse,  Eugene  C.  L. 
Mulvey,  Edward  N. 
Patridge,  Charles  G. 
Rabbit,  Thomas  V. 
Regan,  John  H. 
Shea,  John  F. 
Short,  Walter  L. 
Sidley,  John  H. 
Slattery,  James  A. 
Smith,  Edward  F. 
Smith,  Henry  L. 
Smith,  Martin  W. 
Staples,  Herbert. 
Steele,  Walter  C. 
Stratton,  Eugene  F. 
Sullivan,  John  J. 
Sweeney,  Henry. 
Wehinger,  Laurence. 
Wilkinson,  Arthur  L. 
Willis,  Harry  E. 
Wood,  Charles  B. 
Wright,  George . 


THERE  's  xo  PLACE  LIKE  HOME. 


0pemortam 


Heroes  are  born,  not  made  by  war. 

Or  daring  in  thefifjht. 
The  man  's  the  hero,  icar  '.s  but  chance 

To  briny  that  fact  to  lit/hi. 
Chance  came  to  some  through  fell  disease, 

To  some  in  battle's  strife. 
Hero  's  the  title  due  to  all 

Who  thus  surrendered  life. 


TAPS. 


CHARLES  F.  PARKER,  corporal,  was  born  in  Wakefield, 
Mass.,  July  8,  1872,  his  parents  being  Warren  S.  Parker 
and  Sarah  A.  Loring. 

He  attended  the  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  graduated 
from  the  High  School  with  high  honors. 

In  early  youth  he  showed  a  decided  military  tendency,  and 
was  an  officer  in  the  high  school  battalion. 

At  the  age  of  18  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  6th  M.  V.  M, 
and  continued  in  the  Militia  until  he  entered  the  volunteer 
list  of  the  same  company  to  serve  during  the  war.  He  was 
detailed  on  the  "  colors  "  until  he  was  changed  to  the  Regi 
mental  Post  Office,  where  he  proved  a  valued  assistant  up  to 
the  time  of  his  sickness. 

His  premature  death,  and  burial  at  sea,  made  a  sad  and 
lasting  impression  on  his  comrades. 

Corporal  Parker  was  an  officer  who  was  much  respected 
by  all  his  comrades-in-arms. 

MYRIS  II.  WARREN  was  born  in  Vassalboro,  Maine,  June 
11,  1866,  and  was  the  son  of  Edwin  A.  Warren  of  Vassalboro 
and  Mary  E.  Xew  of  Xantucket.  He  graduated  from  the 
Luther  V.  Bell  school  of  Somerville,  Mass.,  after  which  he 
learned  and  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade. 


336 


In  Memoriam 


lie  was  a  member  of  Company  A,  6th  M.  V.  M.,  nearly 
four  years  when  the  call  came  to  arms,  and  volunteered  with 
the  original  number  to  go  forth  to  serve  his  country. 

Private  Warren  came  of  a  military  family,  his  father  hav 
ing  served  with  distinction  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 

His  great-grandfather  entered  the  patriot  army  at  the  be 
ginning  of  the  Revolution  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  Private  Warren  was  detailed,  early  in  the 
campaign,  to  the  Commissary  Department,  and  performed  all 
his  laborious  duties  in  an  exemplary  manner. 

He  was  buried  at  Ayres  Junction  with  full  military  honors. 

GEORGE  TYLER  CUTTING,  private,  was  born  in  Palmer, 
Mass.,  Aug.  7,  1874,  and  spent  the  first  years  of  his  life  there, 
removing  in  1880  with  his  parents  to  Clinton. 

Three  years  later  he  made  Lowell  his  home,  where  he 
entered  the  public  schools,  remaining  until  he  was  twelve 
years  of  age,  when  he  returned  to  Clinton  where  he  finished 
his  studies  in" the  public  schools.  After  being  employed  for 
some  years  in  the  Bigelow  Carpet  Co.  works  of  Clinton,  he 
accepted  a  position  as  a  finisher  in  the  Jewett  piano  factory 
of  Leominster. 

Private  Cutting  comes  of  a  race  of  warriors,  his  grand 
father  being  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  while  his  great 
grandfather  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812. 

The  funeral  of  Private  Cutting  took  place  at  South  Lan 
caster,  attended  by  his  company,  Company  B  of  Fitchburg, 
who  contributed  beautiful  floral  pieces. 

With  the  natural  love  of  life  of  youth,  when  sick  in  the 
hospital  at  Utuado  he  said  one  day.  "  I  pray  to  God  that  I 
may  not  die ;  "  but  when  the  time  came  to  meet  the  inevi 
table  his  last  words  were,  "  It  is  all  right." 

GEORGE  C.  WENDEN,  sergeant,  was  born  at  Tewksbury, 
Mass.,  June  17,  1870.  His  military  career  began  Feb.  8, 
1888,  being  mustered  in  as  a  private  of  Company  C,  6th 


CHARLES  F.  PAKKER, 
Corporal,  Co.  A. 

GEORGE  TYLER  CUTTING, 
Private,  Co.  B. 


MYRIS  H.  WARREN, 
Private,  Co.  A. 

GEORGE  C.  WENDEN, 

Sergeant,  Co.  C. 


In  Memoriam 


339 


Regiment  M.  V.  M.  On  May  28,  1890,  he  was  appointed  a 
corporal.  On  May  0,  1801,  he  was  made  a  sergeant,  which 
position  he  held  until  1897,  when  he  joined  the  Ambulance 
Corps.  He  was  immediately  afterwards  appointed  sergeant, 
and  went  with  them  to  South  Framingham  on  the  first  call ; 
but  the  services  of  the  Ambulance  Corps  not  being  accepted 
by  the  Government,  and  wishing  to  put  to  some  practical 
use  the  knowledge  that  nine  years  of  military  training  had 
given  him,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  on  July  1,  1898,  and 
was  immediately  made  quartermaster  sergeant  of  the  same 
company.  He  performed  his  duties  faithfully  and  conscien 
tiously,  and  it  was  his  excessive  thoughtfulness  in  the  interest 
of  the  men  that  caused  the  sickness  which  led  to  his  death. 
He  was  taken  sick  soon  after  landing,  and  in  hopes  for  his 
recovery  was  ordered  home.  He  died  while  on  board  the 
Hospital  Boat  '-Relief  "  August  18,  1898,  and  was  buried  the 
same  day  at  sea. 

HERBERT  C.  BELLAMY,  corporal,  was  born  at  Lowell, 
Mass.,  July  16,  1876.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company 
C,  6th  Regiment  M.  V.  M.,  August  21,  1895.  When  the  6th 
Regiment  was  called  into  service,  he  volunteered  and  was 
mustered  into  the  service  May  12,  1898,  being  appointed  a 
corporal  on  the  same  day.  Until  the  time  of  his  sickness, 
which  lasted  about  two  weeks,  he  was  with  the  Company  on 
all  its  marches,  taking  all  conditions  without  murmuring,  and 
being  regarded  by  both  officers  and  men  as  one  of  the  best 
non-commissioned  officers  in  the  Company.  He  died  at 
Utuado,  Porto  Rico,  on  Sept.  7,  1898,  and  was  buried  the 
same  day  with  full  military  honors  just  outside  of  the  native 
Porto  Ricau  burial  ground  at  Utuado. 

Among  the  first  men  to  enlist  when  recruits  were  called 
for  in  Fitchburg  was  JOHN  J.  DELANEY,  who  had  come  to 
this  country  from  Kilkenny  County,  Ireland,  in  1878,  at 
seven  years  of  age.  Always  trustworthy,  he  filled  different 


34-O  In  Memoriam 


positions,  being  employed  by  the  Hart  &  Shay  Plumbing 
Co.,  when  the  war  broke  out.  His  death,  which  occurred 
Dec.  8,  1898,  at  the  Burbank  Hospital,  was  the  first  break 
from  the  ranks  of  Company  D.  The  service  in  commemora 
tion  of  his  deatli  was  held  in  St.  Bernard's  Catholic  Church, 
Fitchburg,  and  was  conducted  with  all  the  dignity,  impres- 
siveness,  and  solemnity  of  the  usage  of  that  church.  The 
large  attendance  and  the  elaborate  floral  offerings  made 
testify  to  the  high  esteem  in  which  Private  Delany  was  held 
in  the  community.  Father  Feehan,  who  conducted  the  ser 
vice,  said  :  "I  wish  I  might  rehearse  his  virtues  ;  he  is  our 
offering  to  our  country.  Thank  God,  he  is  the  only  one  yet, 
but,  if  there  are  to  be  others,  they  will  be  ready.  He  was  a 
boy  of  our  own  parish,  taught  in  our  Sunday  school  and  our 
parish  school,  and  well  we  recall  his  retiring  nature,  his  gentle 
humility  of  character,  and  virtue  which  burned  in  his  heart. 
When  the  call  came,  he  accepted  it.  He  went  in  the  bloom 
of  his  youth  to  offer  all  he  had  for  his  country  and  for  his 
country's  flag.  This  he  did  that  his  country  might  live. 
We  glory  in  this  to-day  and  honor  him." 

Private  WILLIAM  A.  CHUTE,  Company  D,  died  August  24, 
at  Ponce,  P.  R. 

Corporal  CLARENCE  II.  WARREN,  Company  E,  died  August 
26,  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

WILLIAM  E.  WALTERS,  sergeant,  was  born  in  South  Fram- 
ingham,  November  6,  1870,  and  passed  nearly  all  his  life 
there,  being  educated  in  the  Framingham  schools  and  gradu 
ating  from  the  High  School  in  '8(J.  After  graduating  he 
learned  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  the  "  Framingham 
Gazette,"  when  he  accepted  a  position  on  the  "  Framing- 
ham  Tribune."  Later  he  removed  to  Plymouth,  where  for 
three  years  he  was  employed  in  the  office  of  the  "  Old  Colony 
Memorial."  At  the  time  of  his  enlistment  he  was  with  the 
Dennison  Manufacturing  Co. 


HERBERT  C.  BELLAMY, 
Corporal,  Co.  C. 

WILLIAM  E.  WALTERS, 
Sergeant,  Co.  E. 


JOHN  J.  DELANEY, 
Private,  Co.  D. 


In  Memoriam  343 

William  Walters  joined  the  State  Militia  in  May,  18%,  and 
was  mustered  into  the  U.  S.  service  May,  1898,  as  sergeant 
of  Company  E,  Oth  Massachusetts,  U.  S.  V.  He  was  a 
faithful  soldier  throughout  the  Porto  Rican  campaign,  not 
being  sick  until  the  26th  of  September,  when  he  went  to  the 
hospital  in  Utuado.  He  was  taken  to  Arecibo  and  sailed  from 
there  on  the  "  Bay  State  "  on  the  22d  of  October.  He  grew 
rapidly  worse,  and  died  in  the  storm  off  Cape  Hatteras  on 
the  26th  of  October.  His  body  was  brought  to  Boston  and 
buried  with  military  honors  at  Edgell  Grove  Cemetery, 
Framingham,  on  Sunday,  October  30. 

He  leaves  a  wife  and  two  children,  one  a  boy  of  five  years, 
the  other  a  baby  girl  whom  the  father  did  not  live  to  see. 

The  "South  Framingham  Evening  News  "says:  "In  a 
nutshell  Sergeant  Walters  was  a  good  boy,  a  fine  soldier, 
and  was  all  right." 

The  great  number  of  floral  tributes  at  his  funeral  testify 
to  his  worth  and  the  high  place  he  held  in  the  hearts  of  his 
friends. 

EDWARD  F.  McGnATH  was  born  in  Natick,  Mass.,  March 
30,  1874,  where  he  lived  until  he  was  three  years  of  age, 
when  his  family  moved  to  Nobscot,  Mass.,  where  he  continued 
to  live  until  his  enlistment  in  the  6th  Mass.  U.  S.  V.,  in 
1898. 

At  twelve  years  of  age  he  entered  the  Framingham  gram 
mar  school,  where  he  remained  until  graduation,  when  he 
accepted  a  position  as  clerk.  Later  he  was  employed  at  the 
Nobscot  Spring. 

His  genial  manner  and  kindly  actions  surrounded  him  with 
hosts  of  friends,  with  whom  he  was  always  popular.  June 
20,  1898,  he  enlisted  and  served  throughout  the  campaign 
with  the  6th  Regiment,  returning  from  Porto  Rico  on  the 
"Mississippi,"  where  he  was  first  taken  ill  with  typhoid 
fever. 

On  arriving  at  Boston  he  was  taken  to  the  Framingham 


344  In  Memoriam 

Hospital,  where  he  died  Nov.  7,  1898,  surrounded  by  his 
family. 

The  large  number  of  floral  offerings,  and  the  many  who 
attended  his  funeral,  testify  to  the  high  esteem  in  which  he 
was  held. 

He  was  buried  at  St.  George's  Cemetery,  Saxonville,  Mass., 
Nov.  10,  1898. 

WILLIS  H.  PAGE,  artificer,  Company  F,  Marlboro,  died  on 
board  the  "  Lampassas,"  August  4,  and  was  buried  at  sea. 

ERNEST  D.  MARSHALL,  private,  of  Company  F,  Marlboro, 
died  July  27th  of  typhoid,  on  board  the  "Lampassas,"  and 
was  buried  at  Guanica. 

JOHN  O.  COLE,  private,  Company  F,  Marlboro,  died  at 
his  home  in  Marlboro,  December  9,  of  consumption,  and  was 
buried  with  full  military  honors. 

Private  John  Otis  Cole  was  born  in  Marlboro,  August  16, 
1876,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  city. 

As  a  boy  he  was  reserved  and  quiet,  developing  early  a 
distinct  talent  for  electricity,  to  which  he  devoted  his  time 
in  preference  to  athletics,  or  the  usual  amusements  of  boys. 
To  those  only  who  knew  him  best  was  the  depths  of  his 
nature  revealed.  At  early  manhood  he  had  become  a  skilled 
electrician. 

In  January,  1894,  he  became  a  member  of  Company  F, 
6th  Massachusetts  Regiment,  and  received  an  honorable  dis 
charge  in  May,  1895.  But  when  the  President  called  for 
volunteers,  he  was  among  the  first  to  respond,  entering 
again  Company  F  of  Marlboro. 

He  served  in  the  electrical  department  of  the  signal  corps 
at  Camp  Alger,  rejoining  his  company  before  it  left  for 
Porto  Rico.  The  change  of  climate  began  to  tell  on  his 
health  during  the  voyage,  and  he  was  more  or  less  confined 
to  the  hospital  during  the  following  weeks  until  the  arrival  of 
the  "Bay  State,"  when  he  returned,  arriving  in  Massachu- 


WILLIS  H.  PAGE, 
Artificer,  Co.  F. 

JOHN  O.  COLE, 
Private,  Co.  F. 


ERNEST  D.  MARSHALL, 
Private,  Co.  F. 

LEON  E.  WARREN, 
Private,  Co.  H. 


In  Memoriam  347 

setts  on  the  27th  of  September.  After  spending  six  weeks 
at  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  he  was  taken  home, 
where  after  alternately  rallying  and  growing  worse,  he  passed 
away  on  the  9th  of  December.  As  one  who  knew  him  in 
timately  said  :  '*In  his  death  Marlboro  sustained  the  loss  of 
one  of  her  noblest  sous,"  and  of  him  it  might  also  be  said, 
' '  Were  all  for  whom  he  did  a  kind  act  to  bring  a  blossom 
to  his  grave,  there  would  be  no  dearth  of  flowers  to  mark  the 
spot  where  sleeps  an  honored  citizen  and  a  true  soldier." 

Louis  SASSEVILLE,  private  of  Company  F,  Marlboro,  died 
at  his  home,  Marlboro,  December  30,  of  heart  disease ; 
buried  with  full  military  honors,  January  2,  1899. 

LEON  E.  WARREN,  private,  son  of  Alby  J.  and  Elvira  L. 
"Warren,  was  born  in  Stowe,  Mass.,  March  13,  1879. 

When  quite  young  his  parents  moved  to  Winchester, 
Mass.,  where  he  began  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
that  town.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  finished  his  education  at 
a  private  school  in  Stoneham,  and  went  to  work  for  Copeland 
&  Bowser,  Stoneham ;  leaving  that  firm  to  enter  the  employ  of 
the  McKay  Machine  Co.  of  Winchester.  He  worked  about 
a  year  for  these  two  firms,  at  different  times  assisting  his 
father  at  the  mason's  trade.  After  severing  his  connections 
with  the  McKay  Machine  Co.,  he  started  to  learn  the  plum 
ber's  trade,  but  had  not  completed  his  apprenticeship  when 
his  company  was  called  to  arms. 

Previous  to  his  enlistment  in  the  U.  S.  service  he  had  been 
a  member  of  Company  H,  6th  Massachusetts,  for  about  a 
year  and  five  months. 

He  was  an  enthusiastic  member,  and  when  the  call  came 
he  enlisted  with  his  company,  as  his  father  did  in  the  Civil 
War. 

He  proved  to  be  a  faithful  and  obedient  soldier,  doing 
whatever  duty  was  assigned  to  him  cheerfully  and  well ; 
always  ready  to  assist  a  comrade  in  every  way  possible. 

23 


In  Memoriam 

He  probably  contracted  typhoid  fever  at  Falls  Church, 
Va.,  near  Camp  Alger,  where  his  company  did  ten  days' 
provost  duty.  He  was  sent  to  the  First  Division  Hospital, 
June  21,  and  was  transferred  to  the  U.  S.  General  Hospital 
at  Fort  Myer,  June  25.  His  condition  was  such  that  in 
spite  of  the  excellent  care  he  received,  his  life  could  not  be 
saved,  and  he  died  the  following  day,  Sunday,  June  26,  at 
5  r.zn. 

Leon  E.  Warren  was  the  first  man  of  the  6th  Massachu 
setts  Volunteers  to  give  up  his  life  in  the  Spanish-American 
War,  and  he  gave  it  as  nobly  and  just  as  freely  as  did  those 
members  of  the  old  6th  in  the  war  of  '61. 

RALPH  PRESCOTT  HOSMER,  corporal,  of  Company  I,  6th 
Massachusetts,  U.  S.  V.,  was  born  in  Concord,  Massachu 
setts,  May  25,  1877,  and  died  in  Utuado,  Porto  Rico, 
September  11,  1898.  That  Ralph  Hosmer  was  found 
amongst  the  first  volunteers  in  the  Spanish- American  War 
surprised  no  one  who  knew  his  ancestry,  —  a  boy  whose 
great-great-grandfather  was  Joseph  Hosmer,  Adjutant  of 
Colonel  Barrett's  regiment  of  Minute  Men  and  a  participant 
in  the  Concord  fight  of  April  19,  1875  ;  whose  father  was  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  a  member  of  the  company  of 
volunteers  which  left  Concord  April  19,  1861,  who  was 
taken  prisoner  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  dying  eventu 
ally  of  sickness  contracted  in  Libby  Prison. 

Previous  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  had  served  in 
Company  I,  6th  Regiment  United  States  militia,  about  three 
and  a  half  years,  during  the  two  latter  of  which  he  was  a 
corporal.  He  was  the  second  of  three  sons  of  Cyrus  and 
Anna  E.  Hosmer.  He  was  employed  at  the  Old  Colony 
Trust  Company  of  Boston  when  he  enlisted,  and  was  senior 
corporal  in  Company  I. 

GEORGE  EDWARD  ADAMS,  private,  Company  I,  6th  Mass 
achusetts  U.  S.  V.,  born  in  Providence,  R.  L,  April  13,  1878, 
died  in  Utuado,  Porto  Rico,  Oct.  10,  1898. 


RALPH  PRESCOTT  HOSMER. 
Corporal,  Co.  I. 

CHARLES  ABRAHAM  HART, 
Private,  Co.  I. 


GEORGE  EDWARD  ADAMS, 
Private,  Co.  I. 

GEORGE  HEXRY  SAYLES, 
Corporal,  Co.  K. 


In  Memoriam  351 


Private  Adams  was  a  resident  of  Waltham,  Mass.,  being 
employed  as  a  hotel  clerk  in  the  city  of  Boston  until  the 
time  of  his  enlistment  in  Capt.  Cyrus  II.  Cook's  Company 
I,  6th  Massachusetts  Regiment  of  U.  8.  Volunteers.  He 
was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  on  June  17, 
1898,  at  Concord,  Mass.,  by  Capt.  Cyrus  II.  Cook,  and 
joined  the  company  at  Camp  Russell  A.  Alger,  Falls  Church, 
Virginia,  on  June  27,  1898.  Private  Adams  was  the  only  son 
of  Frank  Adams  of  Waltham,  Mass.,  having  done  no  pre 
vious  military  service. 

Private  Adams  was  -detailed  as  special  hospital  nurse  in 
Utuado,  Porto  Rico,  where  he  did  faithful  and  efficient 
service.  He  here  contracted  typhoid  fever,  which  terminated 
fatally  after  an  illness  of  one  month. 

CHARLES  ABRAHAM  HART,  son  of  Charles  S.  Hart,  Deputy 
Superintendent  of  the  Massachusetts  Reformatory  at  Con 
cord,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  Sept.  30,  1881,  and 
enlisted  in  Company  I,  6th  Massachusetts  Infantry,  on 
Bunker  Hill  Day,  June  17,  1898.  A  member  of  the  Concord 
High  School  at  the  time  of  his  enlistment,  and  only  sixteen 
years  of  age.  Joining  the  company  with  his  elder  brother, 
'William  A.  Hart,  who  was  eighteen,  he  went  with  his  regi 
ment  to  foreign  service. 

Upon  arrival  at  Porto  Rico  "Carl"  entered  the  hospital 
service  to  care  for  his  brother,  who  had  been  stricken  with 
typhoid  fever.  His  brother's  return  to  this  country  on  a 
hospital  ship  left  the  young  lad  alone  in  that  distant  land. 
He  was  separated  for  weeks  from  his  regiment,  wTorking 
hard  and  faithfully  in  the  hospital  among  the  sick  ;  a  fav 
orite  with  Major  Dow  and  Lieutenant  Gross,  with  whom  he 
worked,  because  of  his  unswerving  attention  to  duty. 

But  hardships  on  the  "Yale,"  weary  hours  with  the  sick, 
long  marches,  and  climatic  conditions  at  last  told  on  the 
superb  young  body,  and  thus  when  he  was  finally  attacked 
with  the  dread  typhoid  he  fell  an  easy  victim.  He  passed 


3 52  In  Memoriam 

away  on  the  26th  of  September,  four  days  before  his 
seventeenth  birthday.  His  body  was  brought  home  with 
his  regiment  on  the  transport  "  Mississippi,"  and  buried 
with  military  honors  in  the  far-famed  and  beautiful  Sleepy 
Hollow  Cemetery  in  Old  Concord. 

He  was  a  lover  of  nature,  and  pre-eminent  in  all  manly 
sports,  a  member  of  the  Union  Church  at  Concord,  and  presi 
dent  of  the  Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor 
connected  with  his  church.  He  died  beloved  and  deeply 
mourned  by  all  with  whom  he  was  associated. 

GEORGE  HENRY  SAYLES,  corporal.  To  the  unnumbered 
heroes  who  have  freely  and  joyously  given  life  for  their 
native  land,  their  country  owes  a  debt  greater  than  can  be 
measured  in  words  or  can  ever  be  known.  Such  a  hero  was 
George  Henry  Sayles,  born  in  Southbridge  July  2,  1876. 
He  attended  the  public  schools,  and  Dudley  Academy ; 
while  a  child,  was  always  playing  soldier.  When  seventeen 
he  joined  the  Southbridge  militia,  unknown  to  his  parents. 
His  lather  took  him  out,  but  he  said  that  when  he  was 
twenty-one  he  would  join  again.  This  purpose  he  carried 
out,  was  soon  promoted  to  corporal,  and  was  the  first 
one  to  sign  his  name  to  enlist,  when  the  war  with  Spain 
broke  out. 

He  went  to  Porto  Rico  with  the  company,  and  was  in 
the  battle  of  Guanica.  His  friend  and  constant  companion, 
Sergeant  C.  G.  Shippee,  who  was  near  him  in  the  fight,  says 
of  him  kl  he  was  a  fearless  soldier,  never  excited,  but  always 
acting  with  promptness,  and  as  a  corporal  set  an  example 
that  any  soldier  should  be  proud  to  follow."  Though  not 
wounded  by  bullets,  he  was  injured  by  cactus  thorns,  due 
to  his  pressing  down  the  bushes  in  front  of  his  men,  doing 
it  to  save  them  from  the  poisonous  spikes.  This  necessi 
tated  his  going  to  the  hospital  for  a  short  time.  About 
September  1,  he  was  taken  with  typhoid  fever,  from  which 
he  died  at  Fortress  Monroe,  Virginia,  Oct.  28,  1898. 


MARTIN  WELCH, 
Private,  Co.  K. 

JOHN  E.  RILKY, 
Private,  Co.  L. 


CHARLES  EDWARD  MCGREGOR, 
Private,  Co.  K. 

PATRICK  KELLY, 
Private,  Co.  M. 


In  Memoriam  355 

His  letters  home  were  always  full  of  the  warmest  affection 
to  his  mother  and  all  the  rest  at  home,  of  trust  in  God,  and 
devotion  to  duty,  never  a  word  of  complaint.  The  last 
words  written  home  (October  18)  were  :  '•  Love  to  all,  and  a 
big  share  for  yourself  and  pa.  God  bless  us  all."  He  was 
promoted  to  sergeant,  but  owing  to  his  sickness  was  unable 
to  act  as  such. 

MARTIN  WELCH,  private.  He  was  born  in  Southbridge, 
Mass.,  in  18G5,  and  was  a  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas 
Welch,  who  are  among  the  oldest  inhabitants  of  the  town 

After  graduating  from  the  public  school,  he  was  employed 
in  the  Hamilton  Print  Works,  afterwards  in  the  American 
Optical  Glass  Works,  until  he  enlisted.  Although  not  a 
member  of  the  local  company,  never  having  taken  any 
interest  in  the  militia,  he,  like  many  other  patriotic  young 
men,  recognized  his  country's  call,  and  responded  courage 
ously.  He  was  stricken  before  leaving  Camp  Alger  for 
Porto  Rico,  and  the  fatal  fever  quickly  brought  his  life  to 
a  close. 

He  was  buried  in  Arlington  Cemetery,  Washington,  D.  C., 
and  through  some  unfortunate  mistake  no  notice  of  his 
death  was  received  by  his  parents,  and  nothing  was  known 
of  it  until  a  month  after  his  burial,  when  they  learned  the 
sad  fact,  and  had  his  remains  brought  home  and  buried  in 
the  family  plot,  with  military  honors,  Aug.  24,  1898. 

CHARLES  EDWARD  MCGREGOR  was  born  in  Eastport, 
Maine,  Nov.  13,  18G7,  and  came  to  Marlboro,  Mass.,  in 
June,  1888,  where  he  was  married  in  July,  1892. 

He  had  formerly  been  a  member  of  Company  F,  6th 
Regiment,  but  when  the  war  broke  out  he  was  living  at 
Faneuil,  working  at  his  trade  as  a  gas-fitter,  when  he 
enlisted  May  G,  at  Southbridge,  as  a  member  of  Company 
K,  of  Southbridge.  After  reaching  Camp  Alger  he  was 
transferred  to  the  hospital  corps. 


356 


In  Memoriam 


When  the  regiment  left  for  Porto  Rico,  he  accompanied 
it,  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Guanica,  and  marching  with 
the  regiment  to  Ponce. 

Later  malarial  fever  attacked  him,  and  he  was  in  the 
hospital  for  nearly  a  month,  when  he  was  sent  home  on  the 
hospital  ship  "Bay  State,"  reaching  Boston  September  27. 
He  was  transferred  to  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital. 
where  he  was  fnrloughed  the  same  day,  and  taken  to  his 
father's  home  (Charles  "\V.  McGregor),  at  Marlboro. 

Typhoid  soon  developed,  and  on  October  G  he  was 
taken  to  the  hospital  in  South  Framiugham,  where  he  died 
Sunday  evening,  October  9,  aged  30  years,  11  months,  and 
2G  days,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  children.  Charles  Mc 
Gregor  was  a  member  of  the  Immanuel  Baptist  Church  of 
Newton.  The  interment  was  at  Eastport,  Maine. 

JOHN  E.  RILEY,  the  only  member  lost  from  Company  L, 
was  born  on  Eudicott  Street,  North  End,  in  1862,  being  37 
years  of  age,  a  son  of  the  first  colored  coachman  ever  in 
Boston.  His  father  died  when  he  was  but  three  years  old,  his 
mother  when  he  was  but  seventeen  years  of  age.  Before  enlist 
ing  he  was  employed  by  A.  Shuman,  although  he  had  passed 
the  examination  for  fireman  of  the  Boston  fire  department, 
but  was  at  that  time  disqualified  on  account  of  his  color. 

He  was  educated  at  the  Phillips  Grammar  School,  and  wa8 
an  honored  member  of  the  Knight  of  the  World  Lodge  of 
Good  Templars. 

He  was  amongst  the  first  volunteers  in  Company  L,  when 
the  call  for  recruits  was  sounded. 

He  was  married  about  twelve  years  ago  to  Miss  Eliza 
Beatrice  McClellan,  who  survives  him. 

PATRICK  KELLY  was  born  in  Tyrone,  Ireland,  on  St. 
Patrick's  Day,  1865,  and  began  his  martial  life  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  by  entering  the  English  army,  where  he  served 
eight  years,  six  of  which  were  spent  in  India.  He  was 


PAUL  T.  FRENCH, 
Private,  Co.  M. 

ARTHUR  L.  WILKINSON, 
Private,  Co.  M. 


ASA  B.  TRASK, 
Sergeant,  Co.  M. 

CHARLES  E.  JOHNSON, 
Private,  Co.  M. 


In  Memoriam  359 

discharged  in  1888  at  his  own  request,  in  order  to  sail  for 
this  country  with  his  young  wife.  In  1895,  he  settled  in 
Milford,  and  was  employed  in  the  machine  shops  in  Oakdale, 
joining  Company  M,  6th  Regiment,  in  1896,  of  which  he  was 
a  member  until  the  time  of  his  death,  volunteering  his  ser 
vices  with  the  company  in  the  Spanish-American  AVar.  He 
returned  with  the  regiment  on  the  "  Mississippi"  from  Porto 
Rico,  reaching  Milford,  October  26,  apparently  well.  Only 
a  few  days  after,  however,  he  was  taken  suddenly  ill  with 
tvphoid,  and  after  a  short  illness  died  at  his  home,  Novem 
ber  27.  He  was  buried  with  martial  honors  in  Milford, 
Mass.,  Nov.  30,  1898. 

On  November  6  a  memorial  service  was  held  at  Oak- 
dale,  Mass.,  for  Private  PAUL  T.  FRENCH,  of  Company  M, 
6th  Massachusetts,  U.  S.  V. ,  attended  by  his  company.  Paul 
French  enlisted  in  the  company  April  5,  '98,  and  joined  it 
at  Camp  Alger  the  17th  of  June,  a  volunteer  in  the  United 
States  service.  Going  to  Porto  Rico  with  the  regiment,  he 
took  part  in  the  only  battle  fought  by  the  regiment  at  Guan- 
ica,  afterwards  being  detailed  as  guard  at  General  Garret- 
son's  headquarters,  where  he  remained  until  August  19. 

On  October  11,  he  was  reported  sick,  being  transferred 
to  the  hospital  ship  "Bay  State  "  on  the  19th,  but  was  not 
considered  seriously  ill.  He  failed  rapidly  and  died  October 
24,  thirty-six  hours  out  of  port,  and  was  buried  at  sea. 

In  a  letter  written  during  the  summer  to  his  mother,  he 
said  :  "lie  who  watches  over  us  in  times  of  peace  will  watch 
over  us  in  time  of  war,  and  we  will  leave  it  all  to  Him  who 
knows  best.  Hold  up  your  heads  and  be  proud  of  us,  for 
we  will  be  true  soldiers." 

ASA  B.  TRASK,  sergeant,  was  born  in  Yarmouth,  N.  S., 
Oct.  24,  1876,  and  came  to  Milford  in  1887.  He  began 
his  military  career  by  joining  Company  M,  December  7, 
1894,  and  was  mustered  into  the  State  service  April  5,  1895. 
He  received  his  first  promotion  on  Nov.  9,  1897,  when 


36° 


In  Memoriam 


he  was  made  a  corporal,  in  which  capacity  he  served  until 
May  G,  1808,  when  he  was  appointed  sergeant  and  was 
mustered  into  the  United  States  service  in  that  grade  May 
13.  While  in  Camp  Alger,  Va.,  he  several  times  took  com 
mand  of  the  company  while  at  drill.  He  shared  in  all  the 
marches,  and  was  usually  right  guide  of  Compamr  M.  At 
Adjuntas,  after  a  long,  hard  march  over  the  highest  moun 
tain  road  in  Porto  Rico,  he  seemed  completely  tired  out  and 
complained  of  a  bad  headache,  and  the  following  afternoon 
was  sent  to  the  Gth  Massachusetts  Hospital,  where  he  grew 
steadily  worse  each  day  until  his  death,  Aug.  23,  1898. 
He  was  buried  at  Adjuntas  by  the  Hospital  Corps,  his  regi 
ment  being  then  at  Utuado. 

ARTHUR  L.  WILKINSON  was  born  in  Wincheudon,  Mass., 
June  19,  1877.  In  1885,  he  removed  to  Springfield.  He 
was  employed  early  in  life  as  a  bell  boy,  and  worked  in  a 
cycle  shop,  later  driving  the  stage  at  Spofford  Springs. 

In  June,  1898,  he  went  to  Milford,  Mass.,  to  visit  his 
grandfather,  A.  L.  Wilkinson,  when  he  decided  to  join  Com 
pany  M  of  that  city,  having  a  brother  already  in  the  United 
States  Navy.  He  joined  Company  M,  Gth  Massachusetts, 
U.  S.  V.,  at  Camp  Alger,  Va.,  June  21,  1898,  and  accom 
panied  the  regiment  on  the  "Yale"  off  Santiago,  and  went 
to  Guanica,  Porto  Rico,  and  was  with  the  company  on  the 
Yauco  road.  On  the  marches  he  was  unusually  strong,  and 
nothing  appeared  to  bother  him.  August  13  he  was  taken 
sick  at  Adjuntas  and  on  the  17th  was  ordered  to  quarters 
on  account  of  muscular  rheumatism,  and  August  20  was  sent 
to  the  division  hospital  at  Utuado,  where  he  died  of  rheu 
matic  fever  on  Sept.  1,  1898.  He  was  buried  in  the  rear 
of  the  native  cemetery  at  Utuado,  September  3,  with  military 
honors. 

Private  CHARLES  E.  JOHNSON.  Company  M,  died  Jan.  20, 
1899,  at  Milford,  Mass. 


:   . 



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